Once Upon A Kingdom: Storybrooke
by blackkitten13
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a boy with a key and a heart big enough to hold the world, a boy with the power to qualm the darkness and a girl who was a princess of light. They had their friends, family and everything they cared about torn away from him by a terrible curse. Now they're trapped in a dangerous world. Our world. This is their story.
1. Little Cursed Town

**Chapter I: Little Cursed Town**

* * *

 _There was an enchanted forest filled with all the classic characters we know. Or think we know. One day they found themselves trapped in a place where all their happy endings were stolen and changed completely. They were sent to our World. This is how it happened…_

* * *

 _Weddings were happy occasions. Seeing two people come together in a single union could bring a tear to any eye, even the eye of the toughest man. That's what today was._

 _The princess of the kingdom of Lucidus, along with her personal guards, were among those who attended the long awaited wedding of Snow White and Prince Charming. One of the princess's guards, however happy as he was, was trying to hide the misery of having to wear the stiff clothing the princess and his colleague forced him into. It was the only thing they could do to make him look presentable for the occasion. The teenage boy's unruly mane of brown spikes could not be tamed by a simple hairbrush or at all. Even with the occasion, it didn't stop the knight from messing with his collar. His colleague—and best friend—tugged his hand down away from it._

 _"Sora," said his friend in a harsh, barely audible whisper. "Stop touching it."_

 _"I can't help it," the boy, Sora, replied in a hushed tone. His hand dropped to his side. "This thing is uncomfortable." Sora gave his friend a side glance. Unlike him, he was much taller, more muscular and had actually managed to clean up, with his long, silver hair tied back for the wedding._

 _"It's not supposed to be comfortable. It's supposed to give a person a good appearance."_

 _"I'd rather be in a looser shirt. Or even my armor."_

 _"Sora, stop complaining and be quiet."_

 _"Riku, how are you not—" A harsh shush came from the princess between them. Although her regal appearance gave off the look of a perfect princess, both Sora and the silver-haired boy, Riku, knew that she wanted nothing more than to release her dark reddish hair from its bonds and just have a little fun._

 _"This is an important event for them," said the princess. "She's your friend, Sora. I'd believe you—or you, Riku—wouldn't want to interrupt." The boys' minor conversation ended._

 _"Yes, Kairi," muttered Sora._

 _"Alright," Riku added. Their attention turned back to the wedding._

 _"I do," said th_ _e groom, formally known as Prince Charming. His dirty blonde hair, cut to perfection, really did make him look more of a prince than in previous weeks._

 _"And do you,_ _Snow White, promise to take this man to be your husband, and love him for all eternity?" asked the priest who mandated the ceremony._

 _"I do," said th_ _e bride, Snow White with a smile. Her black hair, adorned with flowers, made her look like a snowbell._

 _The trio among the crowd cheered and applauded. This moment was long in the waiting. Sora's voice cut over a majority of the crowd's. He couldn't help it. This was put off for far too long. Snow White and Prince Charming leaned in for a kiss, to seal their marriage and to complete their happy ending._

 _Before they could, the doors swung open with a loud bang. In walked a regal-looking woman. She brought a sense of chill into the room. The moment the Evil Queen stepped into the wedding hall, both Sora and Riku's dominant wrists were held on by Kairi before the boys could even flinch._

 _"Not here," she told them both. "Not yet."_

 _"Sorry I'm late," said the Queen. She approached Snow White and Charming._

 _"It's the Quee_ _n. Run!" The Lucidus delegates watched as two guards were flung out of the Queen's way with magic. Sora caught sight of Riku's hand curling into a firm fist. Snow White drew her husband's sword, pointing it at the Queen._

 _"She's not the_ _Queen anymore," she said, "She's nothing more than an evil witch."_

 _"No, no, no," P_ _rince Charming reassured her, taking the sword from Snow. "Don't stoop to her level. There's no need." He turned his attention to the Queen. "You're wasting your time. You've already lost. And I will not let you ruin this wedding."_

 _"Oh, I haven't_ _come here to ruin anything. On the contrary, dear, I've come to give you a gift," said the Queen with a wicked smile._

 _"We want noth_ _ing from you!" Snow yelled._

 _"But you shall_ _have it! My gift to you is this happy, happy day. But tomorrow, my real work begins. You've made your vows, now I make mine. Soon, everything you love, everything all of you love, will be taken from you." Sora wormed his way out of Kairi's grip in favor of wrapping his arm around her. He and Riku exchanged a look with each other. "Forever. And out of your suffering, will rise my victory. I shall destroy your happiness, if it is the last thing I do." The Evil Queen turned and headed for the door. Without warning, Charming stepped forward, sword in hand._

 _"Hey!" He sho_ _uted. The Queen turned at this attention, giving the prince his chance to throw the weapon directly at her. Unfortunately, the Queen disappeared into a cloud of smoke before the blade could even nick her. Snow went up to meet her husband. The pair held each other close._

 _Sora, Riku and Kairi exchanged a worried look. Things weren't about to get better. They were about to get worse. Far worse._

* * *

The sun incredibly low in the sky as it hung over a sleepy little town. The town's name was Storybrooke. Storybrooke, Maine.

A teenage boy barely on the edge of adulthood had just gotten home. His long silver hair was an absolute mess. It had been a long day for him. It wasn't the first time. The near permanent bags underneath his aquamarine eyes proved that.

Mamoru Miyano was sure his father was asleep by now. He would have most likely passed out from a drunken haze. The boy was only seventeen years old and had to provide for both him and his father.

Mamoru made his way to his bedroom, if it could be classified as that. The apartment that qualified as his home only had three rooms. One for living, one for his father and the third was the bathroom. Mamoru's room was only a renovated linen closet.

He dropped his school bag on the floor, shutting the door behind him. Mamoru collapsed on his bed. He was tired. He could have slept for an eternity if he could.

He was on the brink of slumber when a shrill ring came from the main room. Mamoru scrambled up and almost ran out to answer the phone before it woke his father. He seized the object to cease the noise. The moment he put his ear to the receiver, Mamoru's dark mood began to seep into his voice.

"Who is this?" Mamoru asked, not even bothering to allow the person on the other end to speak.

" _It's the sheriff, Miyano._ " Mamoru looked over to his father's door at the end of the hall.

"Is this about my father?"

" _No. Not this time_ ," said the sheriff. " _Do you know Henry Mills?_ "

"The mayor's son? Yes. Of course I do."

" _Shanelle Workman went to pick up Henry from his therapy session. When she arrived, Dr. Hopper told her that Henry never got there._ " Mamoru ran his hand through his hair.

"l just got off my shift, Graham."

" _You'll be paid overtime for this._ " Mamoru glanced over at his father's door again. He sighed.

"Give me a minute. I'll meet you at the station."

* * *

 _Sora and Riku were pacing around the halls in Snow White's castle, clad in blue & gold and black & silver armor respectively. Snow White had become heavily pregnant since the wedding. Worried for Snow's child and over the Queen's threat, the princess of Lucidus sent the two knights to her aid. Fortunately, everything so far had been considered rather peaceful._

 _"I'm telling you," said Sora as he and Riku walked down a long corridor. "We could take the Evil Queen."_

 _"Magic or not, she would torch us," Riku replied. "Even with the Keyblade."_

 _The Keyblade. A powerful and magical key-like blade concealed in a mystery. It could only be used by very few people. Riku and Sora just happened to be part of that minority._

 _"Okay," Sora continued to give his side of the debate, "I'm not saying we use the Keyblade on her. We could… I don't know. Somehow trap her."_

 _"I don't think that will work."_

 _"It worked with the—"_

 _"You two!" Sora and Riku turned their attention away from each other as Charming walked towards them. He looked stressed out beyond belief._

 _"Is everything alright?" Riku asked the prince._

 _"I'm afraid not," said Charming. "Snow's worried. About the Queen."_

 _"So is Kairi," Sora told him. "You should have seen her after when we returned from your wedding."_

 _"The thing is Snow wants us to go down to the mines. She wants to see… him." Riku and Sora's expressions turned blank._

 _"We trapped him down there for a reason, Charming," said Riku._

 _"She must be desperate if she's willing to go that far," muttered Sora._

 _"We all are," said Charming. There was a moment of silence as he looked between the two boys. "I want you both to come with us. He has fear of what you can do. Snow trusts you and so do I." Sora felt a lump form in his throat. Every time he saw that man, he felt a shiver run up his spine. There were two circumstances in his life that hadn't been the case. The last moment had been a year ago. To Sora, that had been far too long a time._

 _"We'll go." Sora snapped out of his thoughts the moment the words left Riku's mouth. He pressed his mouth into a flat line._

 _"Thank you," said Charming. "Meet us at the mines' entrance in about an hour." Sora watched Charming walk away, making his way back to his beloved Snow White. He didn't speak until the prince was out of sight._

 _"Are we really doing this?" he asked Riku. Riku gave him a side glance before turning and heading down the opposite end of the hall._

 _"Yes," Riku answered. Sora jogged to catch up with him. "He can see into the future. He'll know what the Queen is planning."_

 _"He's dangerous. He's… the Dark One. You don't get a name like that without a reason. And dark usually means evil." Riku glared a dagger at Sora. Sora's eyes wandered away from his. Simple memories of when he was fourteen resurfaced in his mind with that one look. "Sorry."_

 _"It's fine, but if we don't go, we'll never know what's going to happen. We won't be able to protect the balance between the kingdoms, Snow White, Charming, or even Kairi." Sora thought about Riku's words. All of it was true. It was Sora's greatest weakness. His heart. His desire to protect his friends, his family and the person he loved most._

 _"You got me there," Sora sighed. "Fine. I'll come with you. Besides, I can't be afraid of Rumpelstiltskin forever, can I?"_

* * *

It was night in Storybrooke. A young teenager was riding down the road on a skateboard, the wheels smoothly gliding across the asphalt. His spiky brown hair was gently blowing in the autumn wind. The good thing about living in such a small town was that there were barely any cars on the road at night.

Miyu Irino had to work the late shift at the diner he was employed at. It was a simple job. He was just the delivery boy. However, the kind heart he possessed urged him to stay and help the old woman who served as his boss close up at night.

Miyu pushed against the ground again, adjusting bag on his shoulder to keep his balance. It was a small distraction, but small enough that Miyu didn't notice a car come driving down the road. His azure eyes widened as he came to a screeching halt, frozen like a deer in headlights. The car came to stop. Miyu's skateboard came out from under him the moment he stopped, sending him flat onto the road. The car's headlights dimmed the moment the driver stepped out. Miyu propped himself up, resting up against one of his hands. The other was running over his head, checking for any injuries. The woman who had been driving the car held out her hand to him. Miyu took it, giving her the opportunity to pull him up. The light from the streetlamps bounced off the driver's blonde hair.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked the woman. "You could've gotten killed."

"No one usually takes this way," Miyu replied, "That and I have a thick skull. I'm okay." Using his foot, he caught his skateboard stuck between the car and the curb. He pulled it out, stepping on the end to bring it up to his hand.

"Yeah, well—" The woman was cut off when the passenger side door opened. Miyu almost dropped when he saw who climbed out. Henry Mills, the mayor's son.

"Henry?" Miyu found himself saying. "What're you… why are you here?"

"Miyu, it's okay," said Henry. "This is my mom." Henry gestured over to the blonde woman. Miyu glanced over at her.

"Her? This is your birth mom?" Miyu caught himself. "No offense."

"Some taken," said the woman. "What were you doing in the middle of the street?"

"No one really comes down the street in the middle of the night," Miyu said with a shrug. "It's a quicker way to get home."

"Quicker or not, that would get you killed," said the woman. "Get home, kid." Miyu dropped his skateboard on the ground.

"Yes, ma'am." He turned to Henry. "I'll see you tomorrow." Miyu skated off, heading off down the road.

* * *

 _Sora could feel his heart beating loudly in his throat. This was a bad idea. A terrible idea. The darkness was not something you could trust so easily. He, Riku, Snow White and Prince Charming even had to wear hoods to conceal their faces from the Dark One. Sora glanced over at Riku. His face was barely visible in the dim light of the torch he carried._

 _"I still think think is a bad idea," he muttered under his breath._

 _"It's not your choice," Riku said in a harsh whisper. "It's theirs." He looked back at Snow and Charming._

 _"Remember," he told them. "When we get to the cell, you must stay out of the light. Whatever you do, do not let him know your name." They approached the cell, and Sora stepped forward when Riku urge him to._

 _"Rum_ _pelstiltskin. Rumpelstiltskin!" he called out, hitting a hand against the bars of the cell, "I have something to ask you." A man crawled out of the shadows. He had brown hair and amber eyes, but he didn't look human. His skin was a greenish-gold with his teeth and nails yellowing. Sora found him an absolute mess of a man that he once might have been. He grinned upon seeing the four._

 _"No,_ _you don't. They do," said the madman. "Snow White and Prince Charming… You insult me. Step into the light and take off those ridiculous robes." Exchanging a look, Snow and Charming removed their hoods. "That's much better."_

 _"We'_ _ve come to ask you about the…" Charming began to say before he was cut off._

 _"Yes_ _! Yes! I know why you're here! You want to know about the Queen's threat."_

 _"Tell_ _us what you know," Snow White ordered._

 _"Ooh_ _, tense, aren't we? Fear not! For I can ease your mind. But… It's going to cost you something in return."_

 _"This_ _is a waste of time, Snow," Sora whispered. "I say we just—"_

 _"Wha_ _t do you want?" Snow said quickly._

 _"Oh…_ _The name of your unborn child?" asked Rumpelstiltskin._

 _"Abso_ _lutely not!" said Prince Charming in a firm tone._

 _"Deal_ _!" said Snow, not taking in consideration her husband's response. "What do you know?"_

 _"The_ _Queen has created a powerful curse. And it's coming," Rumpelstiltskin told them. "Soon, you'll all be in a prison. Just like me, only worse. Your prison, all of our prisons, will be time. Time will stop, and we will be trapped. Someplace horrible, where everything we hold dear, everything we love, will be ripped from us while we suffer for all eternity. While the Queen celebrates, victorious at last. No more happy endings."_

 _"Wha_ _t can we do?"_

 _"We c_ _an't do anything."_

 _"Who can?"_

 _"That little thing, growing inside your belly." Rumpelstiltskin gestured to Snow White's pregnant belly. In a swift instinct, Charming drew his sword. He slashed at Rumpelstiltskin's_ _hand, only to end up nicking him._

 _"Next time, I cut_ _it off," the prince said through his teeth as he sheathed the weapon._

 _"Tsk tsk. The infa_ _nt is our only hope. Get the child to safety. Get the child to safety and on its... twenty-eighth birthday, the child will return. The child will find you and a final battle will begin!" The man inside the prison laughed wildly._

 _"We heard enoug_ _h," said Prince Charming, taking his wife in his arms. "We're leaving." The prince and his wife headed for the dungeon's exit, Sora trailing behind them._

 _"Hey! No! We ma_ _de a deal! I want her name!" Rumpelstiltskin yelled. "We had a deal! I need her name! I want her name!" The royals turned back._

 _"Her? It's a b_ _oy."_

 _"Missy… Missy… You know I'm right. Tell me, what's her name_ _?" There was a brief pause as everyone waited for Snow White's answer._

 _"Emma," she_ _said at long last. "Her name is Emma."_

 _"Emma…"_

 _Sora couldn't wait to get out there. The large concentration of darkness that Rumpelstiltskin emanated made him feel sick. A few feet down the path, Sora could feel someone straggling behind. He turned. Riku was far behind him._

 _"Riku!" he called out. Riku looked back at him. He glanced back at the prisoner before finally turning away. Riku made his way back to Sora. The two began walking side-by-side. "What was that about?"_

 _"It was nothing," Riku answered. He was avoiding Sora's question. Sora didn't break eye contact with his best friend. "I had a simple question. Don't worry about it." Sora gave his friend a small nod. While Riku's words did worry him, he refused to pester further. He learned long ago not to question Riku's actions._

* * *

Mamoru had met Sheriff Graham at the station hours ago. Darkness shrouded Storybrooke when their search ended. Henry was nowhere to be seen. Mamoru was now stuck sitting with the mayor and the sheriff, waiting to plot their next move.

"Alright," said Graham after he and the mayor, Regina Mills, had talked together for a few minutes. "We can give the town a search one more time before we—" Regina stood up.

"It's not good enough," she said. "Henry couldn't have left Storybrooke." Mamoru followed in Regina's suit, standing up as well.

"I don't doubt he did," said the teen, "but Henry's smarter than he looks. He could have found a way. He's been missing since sundown."

"Are you implying something?"

"I'm not implying anything, Miss Mills. I'm just saying—"

"Uh…" Regina and Mamoru looked over to Graham. Some time during their conversation, he had made his way over to the window. "You might want to reconsider searching any more than we already have. Henry's right outside."

Regina practically rushed over to the door with Graham and Mamoru following her. Regina opened the door. Standing on the walkway was a woman with blonde hair and green eyes. With her was—

"Henry!" Regina exclaimed as she rushed towards her son, embracing him. "Henry… Are you okay? Where have you been? What happened?" Henry pulled away from Regina.

"I found my real mom!" he said. He pushed past Graham and Mamoru and ran into the house. Regina stood to look at the woman standing before her.

"Y-You're Henry's birth mother?" she stuttered.

"Hi…" said the woman. Graham and Mamoru exchanged a glance with each other.

"I'll just go… check on the lad," said Graham. "Make sure he's alright." Mamoru watched as Graham went inside the house. He felt awkward being stuck between Regina and this woman who Henry claimed was his birth mother.

"I'm going to get going," he said, sidestepping past Regina and out the door. "It's late, and I have school in the morning. Good night, Madame Mayor." Mamoru blocked out the conversation Regina had struck up with the strange woman. He had to get home before his father noticed he was gone.

* * *

 _Every one of Snow's and Charming's allies had been gathered around a table at the castle. The curse they had been told about had the prince and Snow in a frenzy. The logical thing was to find a way to stop the Queen's curse before she could cast it. Being that they were there to help, Sora and Riku were brought to the meeting as well. So far, no one had found a plausible solution to the problem at hand._

 _"I say we fight!" recommended Charming as he lead the discussion._

 _"Fighting is a bad idea," said the small Jiminy Cricket. A magnifying glass was propped above him, helping him to be seen by the rest of the party. "Giving into one's dark side never accomplishes anything."_

 _"I can second that," Riku added._

 _"How many wars has a clear conscience won?" said Charming. "We need to take the Queen out before she can inflict her curse."_

 _"Are you sure we can even trust Rumpelstiltskin?" Doc, one of the dwarves and Snow White's closest allies asked. Sora opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by Charming._

 _"I've sent my men into the forest. The animals are abuzz with the Queen's plan. This is going to happen unless we do something."_

 _"There's no point," Snow White interjected. "The future is written."_

 _"No. I refuse to believe that's true," Sora said, cutting into the conversation. "We haven't lost against our enemies yet. The light can't just lose." Sora had a promise he had to keep, after all._

 _"Maybe it can," said Snow._

 _"No," said Charming, getting closer to his wife. "No, not as long as we have each other. If you believe him about the curse, then you must believe him about our child. She will be the savior." The door to the hall opened. A few guards entered, dragging behind them a large piece of a tree. The beautiful and powerful Blue Fairy was with them._

 _"What the hell is this?" asked Riku. His face—along with everyone else's—were etched in confusion. Sora couldn't take his eyes off of the tree._

 _"Our only hope of saving that child," the Blue Fairy told them. Grumpy, another one of the dwarves, laughed._

 _"A tree?" he said. "The fate of us and this entire world rests on a tree?" He turned to Charming. "What were saying about the fighting thing?"_

 _"The tree is enchanted," the Blue Fairy explained. "If fashioned into a vessel, it can ward off any curse." She turned to the old man sitting at the table. "Geppetto, can you build such a thing?"_

 _"Me and my boy, we can do it," Geppetto told her. He put his hand on top of the small boy sitting at his side._

 _"This will work," the fairy told the royals. "We all must have faith. There is, however, a catch. The enchantment is, indeed, powerful, but all power has its limits. And this tree can protect only one." Sora's eyes went wide. The Blue Fairy's words echoed throughout his mind._

 _"Only one…" he breathed. He looked over at Snow with a worried look. The tree could only take one. Snow would have to go through alone._

* * *

Miyu had woken up far too early for his liking. It could have explained why he was so tired later on in the day. As much as he hated going to school, especially on a Monday, there was one reason he actually went. A chance to see his favorite teacher.

After his classes let out, Miyu made his way to the elementary school. He leaned up against the doorway of one of the classrooms. He watched as the teacher taught her lesson.

She had short, black hair and eyes that were as green as a forest. She had a kind face, and an even kinder heart. She was one of the first people Miyu could turn to in times of trouble.

Mary Margaret Blanchard stood there, instructing her class, with a bluebird resting on her finger.

"As we build our birdhouses, remember – what you're making is a home, not a cage," she reminded her class. "The bird is free and will do what it will. This is for them, not us. They're loyal creatures. If you love them and they love you, they will always find you." The bell rang before she could get out anymore. The class began to gather their things. "We'll pick this up after recess. No running!" Miyu stepped out of the way to keep himself from being run over by fourth graders. As soon as the classroom was empty, he took the chance to enter.

"Hey, Miss Blanchard," he said with his usual grin. The woman turned around and smiled.

"Hello Miyu," she replied.

"That was an amazing lesson. From what I heard of it, anyway."

"Thank you." Mary Margaret turned to the window, staring out at the birdhouses. "I'm hoping the children take my advice to heart."

"I'm sure they will." Miyu walked across the classroom to join Mary Margaret. "Hey, if you need any help hanging them up, I'd be happy to lend a hand."

"I would appreciate it."

"It's no prob—" Before Miyu could finish his sentence, two people entered the classroom. They were Mayor Regina Mills and the blonde woman from the night before. Henry's birth mother.

"Miss Mills," said Mary Margaret, turning away from the window. "What are you doing here?"

"Where's my son?" asked Regina.

"Henry, I assumed he was home sick with you." Regina's cold gaze turned Miyu. He felt a chill run up his spine. He shook his head.

"I haven't seen him since I ran into him and her—" said Miyu, gesturing to the blonde, "—last night." Regina looked over at the woman.

"We ran into him on the street when I came to take Henry home," she said.

"Is Henry alright?" Miyu asked.

"You think I'd be here if he was?" said Regina before turning on Mary Margaret. "Did you give him your credit card so he can find her?" Regina gestured to the woman with her.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Mary Margaret asked the stranger.

"I'm his… I'm his…" the blonde woman stuttered.

"The woman who gave him up for adoption," Regina finished.

"You don't know anything about this do you?"

"No, unfortunately not," replied Mary Margaret before she went to look through her wallet. She shifted through her bag, pulling out the item in question and went through it. "Clever boy… I should never have given him that book."

"What book?" Miyu asked. He didn't remember Henry having any book on him last night. At least not one that he had seen.

"What in the hell is this book I keep hearing about?" Regina asked rather angrily.

"Just some old stories I gave him," Mary Margaret explained. "As you well know, Henry is a special boy. So smart, so creative, and as you might be aware, lonely. He needed it."

"What he needs is a dose of reality. This is a waste of time." Regina turned to leave, knocking over a stack of books in the process. "Have a nice trip back to Boston." And with that, she left.

"Sorry to bother you," said the blonde woman.

"No it's… It's okay," Mary Margaret told her. "I hear this is partially my fault."

"How's the book supposed to help?"

"What do you think stories are for? These stories are classics. There's a reason we all know them. They're a way for us to deal with our world. A world that doesn't always make sense. See, Henry hasn't had the easiest life."

"Yeah, she's kind of a hardass." Miyu snickered a little bit, causing the attention to fall on him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh," he said, apologizing. "It's just… I kinda agree. But… Henry's really like any kid who gets adopted."

"He's right," Mary Margaret continued. "He wrestles with that most basic question they all inevitably face – why would anyone give me away? … I am so sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean in any way to judge you."

"It's okay," said the woman.

"Look, I gave the book to him because I wanted Henry to have the most important thing anyone can have. Hope. Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing."

"You know where he is, don't you?"

"You could check his castle," suggested Mary Margaret. The woman looked at her.

"I know where it is," said Miyu. "I can show you if you want."

"Thanks." The woman left without another word.

"See you, Miss Blanchard!" said Miyu before he followed after the woman.

* * *

 _Sora and Riku wandered the halls of the castle, keeping their guard up. They were silent. No conversation was sparked between them whatsoever. Geppetto and his son were at hard work on carving the wardrobe, which was at long last finished. Only one problem remained, well two. One: the curse. Two: Snow was having her child. Sora was worried about the baby._

 _Ever since he woke up that morning, Sora had felt a very strange feeling lingering in the air. That, along with the threat of the Queen's curse, hung heavily on his heart. But he, Riku and the rest of the royal guard were ready for whatever was to come._

 _"Do you think everything will turn out alright?" Sora found himself asking Riku before he could even think about what he was going to say. Riku glanced over at him._

 _"It usually does," Riku answered. "One way or another. It tends to take a while."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"It took you, Kairi and I two years to successfully defeat our ultimate threat."_

 _"Riku, they still exist."_

 _"And since when am I the positive one?" Sora sighed, putting his hands behind his head. An old habit that had carried on from when he was a child._

 _"Since almost never. Maybe you're right. Things will turn out for the—" Sora was cut off by the ringing of a bell. It was loud enough to echo throughout the castle. The ringing of that bell only meant one thing._

 _Riku and Sora hurried over to the closest window. In the distance was a dark, storm-like smoke that was progressing towards the castle._

 _"Oh no..."_

* * *

Mamoru found the coastline along Storybrooke to be quite calming. It wasn't exactly the picturesque beach. There was no white sand, no turquoise waters, and no palm trees. But Mamoru loved it. There was just something about the waves crashing against the rocky shore that seemed to please him.

Mamoru walked along the shoreline until he spotted something up ahead. It was an old wooden structure, built like a castle. He narrowed his eyes when he caught sight of someone sitting on it. Brown hair… an elementary school uniform…

Mamoru walked up to the small boy who was sitting on the structure. Henry didn't even notice him.

"Hey, Henry," he said. Henry jumped before turning around to face Mamoru as he sat down beside him. "Why aren't you in school?"

"I… uh…" Henry stuttered. That's when it clicked.

"You never went," Mamoru concluded. Henry didn't make eye contact with him. "Regina's bound to be looking for you." Henry still didn't say anything. "Do you mind if I sit with you?" Henry shook his head. Mamoru sat down beside him. As tall as he was, his toes barely touched the wet sand. "About last night…"

"I don't want to talk about last night." Henry looked over at the teenager beside him. "Did I make my mom worry?"

"I don't think she's mad at you, if that's what you mean," The boy sighed. "Then again, I know nothing about how a mother works." There was a lengthy pause.

"Mamoru?" Henry asked. Mamoru looked over at him. "How long have you lived in Storybrooke?" Mamoru racked his brain for the answer. To be honest, it was a strange question.

"I was born here," he answered at long last. "I've lived here as long as I can remember."

"Gimme a minute. I wanna show you something." Henry reached around to the schoolbag he had with him. He rummaged around in it for a second.

"You left this in my car." Mamoru and Henry turned as they saw the blonde woman from the night before walking towards them. Miyu Irino was with her. The eyes of both boys narrowed when they made contact with each other. The woman handed Henry his book before sitting down next to him. Miyu remained standing.

"You're Henry's mom, aren't you?" Mamoru asked her, taking his eyes away from Miyu. She nodded. "I'm Mamoru."

"Emma Swan," she said. There was silence again. Emma looked across to the clock tower. "Still hasn't moved, huh?"

"I was hoping that when I brought you back, things would change here," Henry admitted. "That the final battle would begin."

"What?" Mamoru said. "Henry, what are you talking about?" Henry looked over at him and Miyu.

"There's a curse. Everyone here is a storybook character. In my book," Henry explained. "No one remembers because of the curse." Both of them didn't say anything.

"Emma's the only one who can break it. She has to fight."

"I'm not fighting any battles, kid."

"Yes, you are. Because it's your destiny. You're going to bring back the happy endings."

"I don't mean to interrupt," Miyu cut in, "But, can I see the book?" Henry nodded hesitantly. Miyu took the book in his hands, running his fingers along the cover. He sat down next to Mamoru, distancing himself quite a fair distance away.

"Can you cut it with the book crap?" Emma asked. Miyu opened the book.

"You don't have to be hostile. I know you like me – I can tell. You're just pushing me away because I make you feel guilty. It's okay. I know why you gave me away. You wanted to give me my best chance." Miyu stopped at each illustration, looking at how each drawn character bearing a remarkable resemblance to someone he knew. Eventually, Mamoru glanced over at the book with him.

"How do you know that?"

"Because it's the same reason Snow White gave you away."

"Listen to me, kid. I'm not in any book. I'm a real person. And I'm no savior. You were right about one thing, though. I wanted you to have your best chance. But it's not with me. Come on, let's go."

"Please don't take me back there. Just stay with me for one week. That's all I ask. One week, and you'll see I'm not crazy."

"I have to get you back to your mom."

"You don't know what it's like with her. My life sucks!"

"Oh, you want to know what sucking is? Being left abandoned on the side of a freeway. My parents didn't even bother to drop me off at a hospital. I ended up in the foster system and I had a family until I was three, but then they had their own so then they sent me back. Look, your mom is trying her best. I know it's hard and I know sometimes you think she doesn't love you, but at least she wants you." Miyu looked through the book, his eyes scanning every single word.

"Your parents didn't leave you on the side of a freeway. That's just where you came through." This didn't seem like most fairy tales he knew.

"What?"

"The wardrobe. When you went through the wardrobe you appeared in the street. Your parents were trying to save you from the curse."

"Sure they were. Come on, Henry." Mamoru flipped the book shut, almost catching Miyu's fingers in the pages.

"Hey!" exclaimed Miyu. "You almost got me."

"But I didn't," Mamoru said before taking the book and handing it back to Henry. "Get home, kid. Before the mayor's up the sheriff's ass again. And keep your head out of the clouds." Mamoru gathered his things before jumping off the castle. Miyu stood up as well.

"I gotta go. My shift's starting soon," he said "Besides, it's a nice story. But not everyone's in a storybook." Miyu started off towards the diner.

"Well, they seemed like they hated each other," said Emma, watching the two boys go.

"They do," Henry said. "As long as I've known them, Miyu and Mamoru have always acted like that." Emma looked over at him.

"That kid said not everyone was in your book. What's he talking about?" Henry opened the book, flipping through the pages quick enough to give Emma a look at each illustration.

"They're not in it. Them and more people in Storybrooke. If you break the curse, they'll get their memories back and we'll know the answer to who they are." Emma muttered something under her breath. Henry slid his book back into his school bag as he and Emma headed over to her car.

* * *

 _The Evil Queen's guards had begun to swarm the castle. Sora had a tight grip on the gold and silver Keyblade in his hand. While the weapon itself couldn't kill, it provided a great defense._

 _Sora pushed back someone who had tried to stab him in the back, landing a hard enough blow to his chest to incapacitate him. Sora looked over his shoulder. Riku was standing behind him. His weapon, his own Keyblade, reflected himself internally—a perfect fusion of the Light and the Darkness. He was glad to fight alongside a friend like him._

 _Once the guards in the corridor were clear, Sora and Riku were free to move on._

 _"What's the plan?" Sora asked._

 _"We find the others," said Riku. "We have a better chance in numbers." Sora gave him a nod as they rounded a corner. Only two guards stood in their way, their faces blocked by their uniform._

 _Before Riku and Sora could react, one of the two guards darted forward. He ran at Sora, using the force he had built up to push him into an abandoned room._

 _"Sora!"_

* * *

Miyu had trouble concentrating on his work after his run-in with Henry and Emma. That book. It was wedged into his subconscious and wouldn't let it go. Henry had to be imagining things. Fairy tales weren't real. They were just stories told to him when he was little.  
Miyu's thoughts on the book carried over to when he got home. He sat at the dinner table with his mother, barely even listening to her.

"Miyu," his mother said. Her son looked up from his plate to her. "Are you alright? You don't seem like yourself."

"I'm fine Mom," Miyu replied. "I guess I'm just tired." His mother reached over, putting a hand to his forehead.

"You do feel a little warm. Alright. Go on to bed." Miyu gave her a nod.

"Okay, Mom. Thanks." Miyu abandoned the table in favor of his bedroom.

* * *

 _Sora fell backwards into an overturned table. The guard who had forced him in the room slammed the door shut. He bounded forward._

 _Sora ducked and rolled out of the way. The person attacking him collided with the table, landing on the other side. Sora called his Keyblade back to his hand. He went over to the person, only to be met with a swift kick to the chest. The person picked up a discarded sword off of the floor._

 _"Good luck fighting with that," said Sora before attacking._

 _To Sora, the following duel was strange. Although his opponent fought with only a sword, Sora could tell his fighting style was similar to one he had seen before. Incredibly similar._

 _It was the same way he fought in combat._

 _With a small maneuver, Sora managed to disarm his opponent. He held the Keyblade to the person's neck._

 _"Who are you?" he asked. The person gave no reply. Instead, they dropped to the ground, the edge of the Keyblade scraping against their skin in the slightest. "How can you copy me and the way I fight?" Before the person could grab at the sword again, Sora got to it first. He kicked it under a turned over cabinet and out of sight. "How?"_

 _The next moment revealed something Sora couldn't believe. The guard, in desperation for a weapon, summoned forth a Keyblade to his hand. He took a second to summon another. Each Keyblade was the exact opposite of the other. One Keyblade of darkness, and the other of light. Sora's face went pale. He recognized those Keyblades._

 _"No," he said. The person went to attack him, forcing Sora backwards as he tried to counteract the weight of the two Keyblades. "That's impossible."_

 _"You finally got it?" said Sora's opponent. "About time." Sora ducked one of the blows and blocked another._

 _"How? How are you alive?!" He aimed for the boy's chest. "Just tell me."_

 _"It's too late now." The boy dual-wielding lowered his guard. "The Curse is already here. If I did tell you, you'll forget." Sora knocked the boy off his feet._

 _"It's better than not knowing." The boy swept his legs under Sora, sending the Keyblade knight flat on his back. The boy pinned him down, keeping a foot firmly on his chest and the Keyblade too far to reach._

 _"I'm sparing you," he said. "Consider it a favor for when we meet next time." Sora reached out in vain for his Keyblade._

 _"What do you mean?" Sora had finally given up on ever getting his Keyblade back into his hand._

 _"I'm saving your life."_

 _"By keeping me pinned down like a bug?"_

 _"Never said it was a good way." Wind howled on Sora's ears. He couldn't move. The Curse had finally reached him. He didn't know if any one of his friends were safe, if his family was safe or even if Riku and Kairi were safe._

 _"What's going to happen?" Sora asked. The room began to fall apart as the windows shattered. Thick, purple fog entered in. It swirled and surrounded the two_

 _"You know what?" Sora could see the boy's messy, bedhead of golden blonde hair from under his hood. "I don't know."_

* * *

Mamoru had worked overtime again. It was all he could do to keep his home life stable. God knew that his father wasn't going to do anything about it.

If he could sleep, Mamoru would have. He couldn't. What Henry had shown him was stuck in the back of his mind. A work of fiction that was driving him to insomnia. He knew it wasn't real. He had stopped believing in fairy tales long ago.

Mamoru sighed, dropping his school bag on the ground. Any schoolwork had been done in between his busy work. He could sleep. Finally.

* * *

As Mamoru and Miyu stared up at their respective ceilings, both of them had the same thing on their minds. The thoughts would be gone by the morning.

But what both of them failed to even notice was the hands on the town's long dead clock had finally begun to move.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **The following are the Storybrooke names mentioned in this chapter that are related to Kingdom Hearts/Final Fantasy characters that have been introduced in this chapter. This list will be updated upon future chapters.**

 **Sora: Miyu Irino**

 **Riku: Mamoru Miyano**


	2. The One You Love The Most

**Chapter II: The One You Love The Most**

* * *

The next morning, Miyu felt like something was off. It wasn't the fact that he was almost late for school, nor was it that he almost left home without his belongings. Both of those things happened at least once a week. Miyu had finally noticed what was wrong on his hundred yard dash to school.

Miyu had started to slow down once he reached the town square. He had a habit of looking up at the old town clock, only to remember the thing never moved. To his surprise, the clock had been in a different position than it had been the night before. It was working again. Miyu felt a grin creep up on his face. Something different in this town would do it some good.

It wasn't until he heard the school bell in the distance that Miyu snapped out the trance the clock had put him in. He dashed off towards the high school, running as fast as he could.

* * *

 _A fourteen year old boy sprinted down the length of a road. He ducked underneath people rushing past, trying not to overturn anything in his path. He could almost see it. The gates to the kingdom. The path to the coast, the white sand and the ocean. His friends would be waiting for him._

 _It was days like these that Sora lived for. Moments where he was free from any responsibilities were only a pleasure to many but only a luxury to him. Today, however, Sora made up his mind to help another person experience that luxury they oh so craved._

 _The moment Sora came to the large gate along the outer walls, he could see them waiting._

 _"Hey!" he called out, waving a hand to get their attention. The silver-haired boy and the hooded girl standing by the gate broke their conversation just as Sora caught up. He was out of breath._

 _"What took you so long?" Riku asked him as soon as Sora was within a personal range. "It took me a shorter amount of time to sneak her out of the castle."_

 _"I was…" Sora said in between his breathing, "I had to… Chores."_

 _"It doesn't matter now," said Kairi, her face hidden underneath the cloak she wore. "Everyone thinks I'm sick in my bed. They won't notice I'm gone, which means we can stay out even longer." Sora gave her a nod. He and Riku walked over to the thick iron gate. The smell of salty air was lingering on the metal. With a small signal to the guard on duty, the gate opened._

 _"I'll race you!" said Kairi. Once the gate was fully opened, Riku and Sora exchanged a look. With a smirk on each of their faces, they sprinted out onto the pathway. Kairi dashed after them._

 _This was utter bliss to them. It was when they could truly be free._

 _And this would be the last time for a long time it would be like this._

* * *

By the time Miyu got to school, class had already begun. With a reprimanding and a lecture from his teacher, Miyu slid down on his seat.

The boy couldn't sit still the entire time. His teacher's words drifted in and out of his ears. He absentmindedly started scribbling down what he was saying. Miyu was usually distracted during the school day. This could possibly support the fact that he didn't have the best grades on record. All he cared about is that he passed.

As soon as the final bell rang, Miyu was absolutely ecstatic to go home. He would have been if he hadn't overheard a handful of his classmates. He glanced over from his desk as he gathered up his books. One of them had this morning's edition of the Daily Mirror, Storybrooke's local newspaper, laid out before him.

"Do you think it's true?"

"Probably. I heard she did get arrested yesterday."

"What for?"

"She hit the town sign on her way out of town." Miyu dropped his books into his bag. He turned to the group in the back of the class.

"Who are you guys talking about?" he asked. One of his classmates held up the paper. Plastered on the front page was Emma Swan. Miyu walked over, his eyes scanning the article. He shook his head.

"It's not that big of a deal," he said once he was finished. Miyu slung his school bag over his shoulder.

"If it made the front page it must be." Miyu simply shrugged as he headed for the door.

"Wait until you meet her before you judge her."

"Oh, like you have!" He looked back.

"Twice." The door shut behind Miyu. He was out of school for the day and officially on his way home.

* * *

 _Halfway through their day, the trio of Riku, Kairi and Sora sought refuge underneath a large tree as the hot sun beat down on the beach._

 _"Do you think it's this hot anywhere else?" Sora asked, his eyes trained on the ocean._

 _"No," said Kairi, "It's just Lucidus."_

 _"How would you know?" Riku said, looking over at Kairi. "None of us have even stepped foot outside of the borders before."_

 _"It's only what I've been told. I won't get to travel until I'm much older. That's what everyone says." Sora slid down the tree, coming to lay in the cool sand._

 _"We all will," he said, staring up at the clouds. "You, me and Riku."_

 _"The life of the servant boys," Riku said, allowing a somber tone to drip into his words._

 _"Don't be so pessimistic," Kairi said. She shifted over to face the two boys. "Besides, what would even do if you got to another place?"_

 _"I haven't really thought about it that much," he said with a simple shrug. "It's just… I've always wondered why we're here. Lucidus specifically. Why did we end up here? Our home is just a piece of something greater. We could have easily ended up somewhere else, right?"_

 _"I don't know," said Sora. "Maybe."_

 _"Exactly. Sitting here won't change anything about it. Everything here is always the same."_

 _"You_ _'ve been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?" Kairi asked. Riku nodded._

 _"All t_ _hanks to you," said Riku. "If we hadn't met you, I probably would have never thought of this. Kairi, thank you."_

 _"You're welcome."_

* * *

Miyu dropped his skateboard on the ground the second he stepped outside the brick building. He pushed off, allowing the rough concrete sidewalk to carry him far away from the trouble of school.

Miyu listened to each click as the wheels hit the lines that separated each area of the sidewalk. The way Storybrooke created its own rhythm fascinated the boy, and how it was always maintained the same pattern each and every day. Today, though, it seemed different. The ticking from the town clock seemed to add another element to it.

Miyu felt something run up his spine. He didn't want things to change. Everything was fine as it was.

The boy had gotten himself so lost in his thought, that he failed to realize where he was going. Miyu barely had any time to react when someone stepped almost out of nowhere. He failed to stop in time, colliding with them. Miyu hit the ground, groaning a bit when he landed.

"Sorry," Miyu said quickly. "I wasn't looking where I was―" Miyu stopped when he saw who it was that had knocked him over.

"That fact's obvious," said Mamoru, picking himself up off of the sidewalk. Miyu got up, despite the dull throb coming from his arm.

"You stepped in front of me," he said.

"Very observant," Mamoru groaned. "Look, I don't have time for this. I have somewhere to be, and unlike you, productive things to do." Mamoru walked off in the opposite direction. Miyu hurried up his pacing to retrieve his skateboard. He glanced back at Mamoru as he faded into the crowd.

"I can be productive," he muttered before dropping his means of transportation on the ground again. Miyu rode off again, muttering about productivity.

* * *

 _The sun had become dangerously low in the sky. The day was almost done, which meant Sora, Riku and Kairi would have to return to the safety of the walls that protected them. As Riku readied to go, Sora found Kairi sitting near the edge of the water. The waves were barely reaching her._

 _"Hey, Kairi. It's almost time to go," said Sora as he approached her. Kairi didn't look up. She was working feverishly on something in her hands. "What're you doing?" Kairi seemed to finally notice Sora's presence. She looked up at him._

 _"I'm ma_ _king a necklace of thalassa shells," she said, returning to her work. "Sailors wear them. They're supposed to ensure a safe voyage. See this?" She held up an unfinished star-shaped charm out to him. It looked like a tangled mess of seashells and string. "I'm making this charm to help us find each other if we ever get separated. That way, the three of us will always be together." Sora, seeing that Kairi wouldn't move, sat down next to her at the edge of the water._

 _"You kn_ _ow, Riku has changed," said Kairi after a long pause. Sora looked over at her._

 _"What d_ _o you mean?" he asked._

 _"Well…"_ _Kairi stared at the churning waves, growing silent once more. Sora put a hand on her shoulder._

 _"You oka_ _y?"_

 _"Sora," K_ _airi put her hand on top of Sora's, "let's go—just the two of us! Let's run away!" Sora seemed taken back by Kairi's answer. His face drained of all color. He could feel his heart beating in his throat. Was she really asking him this? And why all of a sudden? To Sora's surprise, Kairi started giggling. "Just kidding." Sora sighed, releasing all the tension trapped in his chest._

 _"What's g_ _otten into you?" Sora asked her. He removed his hand from her shoulder, putting it in his lap instead. "You're the one that's changed, Kairi."_

 _"Maybe..._ _You know, I was a little afraid at first, but now I'm ready."_

 _"Ready fo_ _r what?"_

 _"To rule L_ _ucidus. The council won't command the kingdom in my place forever. I take over when I turn sixteen. That's only two years away. But…" Kairi bit down on her lip._

 _"Kairi?"_

 _"No matte_ _r where I go or what I see, I know I'll always come back here. I have to." Kairi turned to face Sora. "Right?"_

 _"Yes, of co_ _urse!" Sora said with a nod._

 _"That's good." Kairi paused again. She stared at the charm in her hands. "Sora, promise me something. Please don't ever change."_

 _"I…" Sora was reluctant to answer. It was a while before he found his voice. "I promise." Kairi stood up, allowing the edge of her dress to dip into the water. She gazed out_ _at the ocean with Sora staring up at her._

 _"With you and Riku by my side, I'll make our home a place to be proud of. Just you wait."_

* * *

Mamoru was late. He was rarely ever late for anything. He arrived on time for school, for work, and when he got home. However, his minor encounter with Miyu combined with the fact that his teacher kept him after the final bell had rang made him ten minutes late for his shift at the sheriff's station.

The moment Mamoru walked into the station, he was prepared to give rapid fire an explanation to Graham. He was stopped when he caught sight of Graham already at work, taking a mugshot of Emma Swan.

When the door shut, Graham looked away from the camera and towards the only employee he had.

"You're late," said Storybrooke's sheriff. Mamoru slid his belongings off of his shoulder. He didn't break eye contact with Emma.

"I couldn't get Mr. Stewart to let me go," Mamoru replied. He dropped the bag as far out of anyone's way as he could possibly get it. He walked over beside Graham.

"Take over for me," said Graham. Mamoru stood behind the camera as the sheriff made his way over to his desk.

"What happened?" Mamoru asked, trying his best to reconfigure the camera to his own proportions as well as Emma's.

"Dr. Hopper called. He says Miss Swan stole some of his files. When I went to investigate… I believe you can figure out the rest." Mamoru sighed. The camera was finally calibrated right.

"You know the shrink is lying, right?" said Emma.

"To the right," Mamoru said. Emma followed. He snapped the photo.

"Why would he lie?" Graham asked.

"The Mayor put him up to this. She's got to have something on him. He's terrified of her like everyone else in this… town."

"To the left," Mamoru instructed. Emma followed the movement before he snapped another photograph. "The mayor is intimidating, but I doubt she would go as far as to frame someone."

"How far would she go? What does she have her hands in?"

"Well, she's the Mayor," said Graham. "She has her hands in everything."

"Including the police force?" Mamoru couldn't hide the disdain on his face. He tried to avoid the mayor whenever possible, which was difficult considering his job.

Before Mamoru could say anything on the topic, he heard the door to the sheriff's station open. In ran Henry Mills, shortly followed by Mary Margaret Blanchard.

"Henry!" said Graham, surprised at the boy's sudden intrusion. "Henry, what are you doing here?"

"His mother told him what happened," Mary Margaret explained when Henry didn't answer.

"Of course she did," said Emma, exasperated. Henry went up to her. "Henry, I don't know what she said—"

"You're a genius," said Henry. He didn't seem to disappointed in the fact that Emma had gotten arrested.

"What?"

"I know what you were up to. You were gathering intel for Operation Cobra."

"I'm sorry," interrupted Graham, "I'm a bit lost."

"You're not the only one," Mamoru added under his breath. He took the camera off of its tripod and put it on Graham's desk.

"It's need to know, Sheriff," said Henry. "And all you need to know is that Miss Blanchard's going to bail her out."

"You are?" Emma said, sounding confused. "Why?"

"I, uh," Mary Margaret stuttered out before finding her words, "trust you."

"Well, if you can uncuff me, I have something to do." Emma held out her hands. Graham still had her cuffed. Mamoru swiped the key off the desk after getting a nod from the sheriff.

"Alright," he muttered. He unlocked the handcuffs. Emma gathered her things and immediately headed out.

* * *

 _Using the night as their cover, Sora, Riku and Kairi snuck back into the castle. They thought they were in the clear. They wouldn't be caught. Kairi pulled down the hood of her cloak. Her vivid red hair is exactly what caused them to be spotted._

 _"Your highness!" called out a relieved voice from behind. There was a collective groan. The trio turned as one of the palace servants ran up to the three._

 _"Where have you been?" said the woman, her long braid trailing behind her. "Everyone's been worried sick about you."_

 _"I'm sorry I was—" Kairi said quickly._

 _"It was our fault, Aerith," said Riku, cutting Kairi off from having to explain their outing. "I snuck the princess out of the castle and we took her to the beach."_

 _"Riku, I'm surprised—" the woman, Aerith said._

 _"It was my idea to take Kairi with us!" said Sora so suddenly and so hastily no one expected it. "Riku told me that we shouldn't do it, that we've gotten in trouble before or taking Kairi outside the castle grounds but I didn't listen to him. I just wanted Kairi to be… happy for a change."_

 _"Sora…" Kairi said in a low tone. Sora looked back at her. He sent a small smile of reassurance at her._

 _"Your majesty, the council is waiting for you," said Aerith with a sigh. "Riku, can you take her?"_

 _"Of course," Riku told her. He cast Kairi a look, as if telling her not to fight against it. He lead her away. Kairi glanced back at Sora before she followed behind at a quicker pace._

 _"I should go," said Sora. He was already prepared to walk off in the other direction. He was turned halfway._

 _"Sora." He groaned. He was so close to getting away with it. Sora turned back to face Aerith._

 _"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" he asked. Aerith got down to Sora's height._

 _"I won't tell anyone," she said. Sora sighed in relief. "The princess cares about you. I do believe she wouldn't want to see you punished."_

 _"Thank you, Aerith!" Her expression fell grim. She stood up._

 _"You have a big heart, Sora. Go down into the kitchens and help prepare for dinner." Aerith began to walk away._

 _"So… I'm not in trouble?" Sora asked, causing Aerith to stop. "You won't tell my mother?"_

 _"I won't." Sora grinned. He ran off down the corridor. Aerith sighed once Sora was out of earshot. "Poor boy…"_

* * *

Miyu reached his doorstep twenty minutes after his encounter with Mamoru. He kicked up his skateboard into his hand and opened the door with the other. The instant smell of freshly baked goods and cinnamon hit him. The familiar scent of home.

He went up to his bedroom, dropping off his things before dashing down into the kitchen. There was his mother, sitting at the table with a book in her hand.

"Hey," said Miyu, greeting his mother and pulling her attention away from what she was reading.

"Hey," his mother responded as she flashed her son a welcoming smile. "How was school?"

"Boring." Miyu crossed over to the refrigerator.

"You know what I mean." He could feel his mother's eyes on him.

"And I'm telling you, nothing really happened." Miyu opened the refrigerator door. "It's only Tuesday. Nothing happens on a Tuesday."

"If you're lying to me—"

"Mom, when was the last time I lied?" He took the milk carton out. He paused before looking over at his mother. "Let me rephrase that."

"I'll find out eventually. A mother always knows." His mother went back to her book.

"Mother knows best." Before Miyu could even open the carton he held, he spotted something on the table. It was a brown bag, sitting wide open. He recognized it. It was from the diner where he worked. "Hey, Mom?"

"Yes?" His mother didn't even look up. Miyu walked over.

"What's with the takeout?" he asked, gesturing towards the bag. "It's not a special occasion. I thought we were going to stay home for dinner." His mother glanced up at it.

"It's your dinner, not mine," she answered. "I'm going out so you'll be on your own tonight." Miyu took his eyes off the bag to look at his mother.

"You're going out? With who?" Miyu's mother sighed. She closed her book and looked up at her son.

"Miyu, you never care about things like this." It was true. Miyu wasn't exactly the kind of teen who actually dated. Whenever the topic was brought up by anyone, he found ways to avoid it. Miyu never even dated another person before.

"I do care about it if someone's going out with my mom," Miyu continued, causing his mother to sigh.

"I'd thought you'd grown out of this," she said.

"I didn't." There was a pause between them. "Who is it, anyway? A co-worker?" Miyu's mother worked at Storybrooke General Hospital as one of the nurses on hand. There were several members on the hospital staff Miyu didn't fully trust.

"James Stewart." Miyu's eyes widened a little bit.

"You mean my physics teacher? Tall? Dark hair?" And in Miyu's private opinion, he was a bit of a creep.

"Yes. I am a grown woman, Miyu. I can date who I please." The teenager muttered something under his breath as he opened the milk carton. "I heard that." He looked away from her. "You know, a lot of people I work with always tell me I have such a sweet boy. I'm surprised you haven't found a nice girl yet. Mena told me that—"

"I don't like anyone that way," Miyu said quicker than his mother expected. "Everyone I know just doesn't…" He sighed. He couldn't think of the right words to say to his mother.

"You'll find someone. I felt the same way before I met your father." Miyu audibly groaned.

"Please don't tell me this story again," he begged. If his mother had told it to him one more time, it would make it a hundred times Miyu had heard the story.

"He was a fisherman who came in with a hook through his lip," his mother said, ignoring her child's plea. "There was just something about your father that just made me laugh. I couldn't help but get closer to him."

"Then you got married, had me, and then Dad died in a storm at sea," Miyu finished. "The story always has a sad ending. I wish you wouldn't tell it." He took a swig from the carton in his hands.

"I'm telling you now because I want you to remember that I loved your father. And I don't want you to ruin this for me like you used to do when you were younger."

"Mom, I'm sixteen. Don't you trust me enough to leave this guy alone?" Miyu closed the carton as his mother gave him a look. "Fine."

"Thank you."

* * *

 _It was well near midnight by the time the servants of Lucidus Castle were allowed to return to their quarters for the night. Sora's hands were cramped from scrubbing out pots for hours. His knees were stiff._

 _"Sora." Sora turned around to see Riku behind him. Riku withdrew something from the confines of his jacket. He tossed something to Sora, who scrambled to catch it. In the palm of his hand as a small, star-shaped fruit. "I snatched it before we left," said Riku._

 _"A paopu fruit…" Sora muttered, still staring at the fruit in his hands._

 _"If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined," Riku explained as he came up by Sora's side, "They'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what." Riku walked past him. "I know you want to try it."_

 _"What are you talking—" Sora heard Riku laugh farther down the hall. He turned and jogged to catch up with him. "Very funny."_

 _"It was just a joke, Sora. I can make those."_

 _"Nice joke." Sora looked down at the fruit. He ended up closing his hand around it. He knew what Riku was implying._

 _"I really do mean it. I know Kairi would do it if you asked her." Sora found that notion hard to believe._

 _"She doesn't even like me that way. She's the princess, and I'm the boy who works in the kitchens."_

 _"Better than running around for people all day."_

 _"I'll trade you." The boys shared a laugh. Once the joy died down, Sora found himself still stuck on that single thought and the fruit in his hand. "Riku, can I ask you something?"_

 _"I don't see why you can't," said Riku._

 _"I have this feeling," Sora told him, having trouble finding the right words to convey his thoughts, "It feels… strange and I get all… odd when I'm alone with Kairi." Riku couldn't help but smirk._

 _"It's because you like her." Sora looked over at Riku, his face painted with confusion and curiosity._

 _"Of course I like her. I like you, too. You're both my friends."_

 _"That's not what I meant." Riku gave Sora a glance. "You like her more than you should." Sora was blatantly starting to get an idea of what Riku was trying to tell him._

 _"Are you… are you jealous?" Sora asked. "Riku, you're my closest friend. I don't—" Riku held up a hand, cutting Sora off from finishing his sentence._

 _"I don't think you're understanding what I'm saying." Sora shook his head._

 _"Not at all." Riku sighed._

 _"You're falling in love her." Sora stopped in his tracks. His reactions to Kairi's earlier behavior were starting to make sense. "It's obvious to everyone but you. Think about it." Even Kairi's behavior was starting to make sense. All those questions she asked him… was it because she liked him?_

 _"I'm not…" Sora said, having trouble speaking as that premonition kept sticking itself in his mind. "I…" Riku put his arm around Sora's shoulder as they started walking again._

 _"What you are is tired, but you and I both know the truth. You're slowly falling in love the princess."_

 _"Kairi's my friend," Sora said._

 _"You keep telling yourself that." Riku didn't seem to believe Sora at all._

 _"I'm serious!" Sora said louder than he had meant to. He took a breath before continuing. "She's my friend. I have to keep it that way. I want to see her happy. That's it."_

 _"So do I." There was a long, silent pause. Neither boy could find something to say to break the uncomfortable silence. That is, until Riku came up with the right words._

 _"She didn't tell them," he told Sora. This made his friend a bit confused._

 _"Tell who what?" Sora asked._

 _"The council. She didn't tell them it was your idea. She lied and said it was her idea to sneak out. She said that she pulled us into it in order to protect us, and mostly you, from being punished." Sora felt every muscle in his body tense up._

 _"What did they do about it? Is she alright?"_

 _"They're keeping her in her room for a while, guarded and everything. I don't know how long."_

 _"They…" Sora swallowed down an air bubble in his throat, "they can't!"_

 _"They did. Kairi is the only remaining heir to the throne. She's been under watch almost all her life, but she doesn't need it," Riku said with only a small shrug to add to his statements. "Today, Kairi's actions, your actions and your reaction tell us everything we need to know." Sora sighed._

 _"I feel terrible. This is my fault. It was my idea to take her with us." So many thoughts were pushing inside of his head now. And none of them were good._

 _"Don't." Sora looked over at Riku, snapping out of most of his thoughts. "You were just trying to help. Go get some sleep. You'll feel better."_

 _"Thank you. Good night, Riku." Sora watched as Riku turned in opposite direction as the corridor split into two._

 _"Good night," Riku responded without looking back. Sora felt the thoughts weigh heavily on his mind as he headed down to the room he shared with his mother in the lower parts of the castle. He looked down at the paopu fruit Riku had given him. Was he right about everything he had said?_

 _Sora shook his head. He didn't want to think about it. He just wanted to sleep and hoped that everything would make sense in the morning._

* * *

Miyu sat at the top of the staircase. He had kept his promise to his mother, but that didn't mean he could eavesdrop. Lucky for him, he was out of sight. This was a double-edged sword. Miyu couldn't intimidate the man. He honestly didn't care if it was his teacher or not.

"I'll be home in a few hours!" Miyu heard his mother say. The door shut after that. After a few moments, Miyu sighed. He stood up and headed to his room. He crossed over to the window, staring out at the stars above.

He wouldn't say it out loud, but Miyu hated seeing couples together. Every time he did, something would grab at his chest. It would squeeze it so tight that Miyu couldn't breathe. He didn't have the heart to say anything about it. He didn't want to ruin anyone's happiness at the expense of his own. Miyu sighed.

"This sucks," he muttered to himself. Miyu would be home alone for a long time. Everything he needed to do was already done. He glanced down at the overly-stuffed drawers of his desk. "Well, it's something…" Miyu bent down, pulling the drawer open. It was filled with old papers. He groaned. This was going to take forever to sort through, but at this point it was the only thing he could think of to do.

* * *

 _It was pitch black when Sora woke up. Everyone else in the castle was still asleep. Not even the sun was rising. The only reason Sora had awoken in the first place was because something outside of the door had roused him from slumber._

 _Sora looked over at his mother. She was still sound asleep. He leaned over, lighting a candle nearby. Sora picked it up. Curiosity has gotten the best of him. He had to go see what it was._

 _Sora carefully slipped out the door and shut it behind him. Using the dim light of the candle and the sounds he kept on hearing, Sora began tracking down whatever he had heard. He had a feeling someone had snuck into the castle._

 _Sora followed the noise as it lead him down deeper and deeper into the castle. Soon, the walls became lined with vines and crumbling rock. Sora had never been this low in the castle before. Not even the dungeons were this deep._

 _Sora slowed down his pacing. He was becoming more and more cautious as he felt like whatever was in the castle was leading him to his death._

 _The boy soon came to a dead end. Blocking him from continuing on was a wooden door on the wall. A thick bar of stone was keeping it shut. Sora went to push it off, when something made him turn. The sound of a cloak moving._

 _"Wh-who's there?" Sora called out._

 _"I've come to see the door to this land," a deep voice answered from the shadows. Sora, confused, raised the candle a bit higher. "This land has been connected."_

 _"Wh-What are you talking about?" Shivers were running up his spine. The boy was confused._

 _"Tied to the darkness... Soon to be completely eclipsed." Something crawled up on Sora's back. Fear. He knew of the dark magic that swept the Enchanted Forest. Only two people he knew of used it: The Evil Queen Regina and the Dark One himself. Sora wished he would never have to face either of them._

 _"Well, whoever you are, stop scaring me like this." Sora said, stepping closer to the figure. The candlelight caught the intruder. It was a hooded man, a X crossing over his cloak. He kept his face hidden from view. "Wh-Where did you come from? How did you get in here?"_

 _"You do not yet know what lies beyond the door," the man continued, ignoring Sora's questions. Sora just became more confused._

 _"What are you talking about?"_

 _"There is so very much to learn. You understand so little." Sora glared at the figure._

 _"Well, you'll see. I'm going to get out and learn what's out there!" The man chuckled under his breath. "What's so funny?"_

 _"It's all just a meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing." Sora tore his eyes off the figure to look toward the door in the wall. While it looked like a door, it had no lock or doorknob. He didn't understand what the figure was talking about._

 _"Hey!" shouted a voice in the distance. Sora turned back. He was surprised to learn that the figure was gone. Running up to him was one of the palace guards. He stared down at Sora. Sora couldn't read his expression._

 _"How'd you get down here?" was the first thing the man asked._

 _"I…" Sora couldn't find his own words._

 _"No one's supposed to be here. This area is sealed off for a reason."_

 _"Why's it sealed off?"_

 _"That's none of your business. Get back to bed."_

 _"But—"_

 _"Before I have to report a kid like you and Yuriko has my head because of it." Sora didn't argue. It wasn't a good idea to go against a man who had a sword. Or knew his mother's name. The boy wandered back through the halls. When he got back to his assigned quarters, he was relieved that his mother was still asleep. He blew out the candle and laid in the dark. His mind was still stuck on the strange events that just occurred._

* * *

It was late by the time Miyu's mother returned home. The silence she heard was uncomforting.

"Miyu!" she called up the stairs. "I'm home!" There was a pause.

"I'm upstairs!" was her response. His mother walked up to the second floor of the house. Her son's door was open. She walked into the room, only to discover Miyu sitting in the middle of the floor. Papers littered the ground and surrounded him. All his mother could do was laugh under her breath.

"You were busy," she said. Miyu looked up at her.

"How'd it go?" he asked. He wasn't even acknowledging the mess around him. Miyu's mother shrugged.

"It went surprisingly well. There's possibility for a second date." She crouched down next to her boy. "What are you doing?" Miyu rested his elbows on his knees. He stared out at the sea of paper.

"Going through old stuff. I kinda got distracted about halfway through." While his mother stood up, Miyu reached out among his mess. His fingers grasped over one of them. It was a letter written by young hands. Miyu showed it to his mom.

"Do you remember where this came from?" His mother took the letter. All of it was in an unidentifiable handwriting.

"No, why?"

"It fell out of one of the books you gave me for my birthday a while back. I thought…" Miyu had really thought it belonged to him.

"Sorry Miyu. Try and get some sleep, okay?" Miyu's mother folded the letter in half. "I'll get rid of—"

"No!" Miyu said, standing up. His mother stared at him. "I mean… no. I'll hold onto it." He took the letter from his mother. "Try to find out who it belongs to."

"Suit yourself," she said with a small shrug before leaving the room. As soon as the door was safely shut, Miyu sighed. He opened the letter. The script was written with care, and as Miyu read it over and over again, it became seared into his mind. He sighed, placing the letter on his desk. He bent down and began to pick up the scattered papers.

"Whoever that belongs to is sounds like a lucky guy. I wish I could find someone like that…" Miyu muttered to himself. He had picked up everything and dropped them on his desk, away from the letter. "I'm sixteen. I'm surprised I'm not a hopeless case at this point." Miyu took the letter again. His eyes were scanning it over and over and over again.

" _Thinking of you, wherever you are. We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend. Now I will step forward to realize this wish. And who knows: starting a new journey may not be so hard, or maybe it has already begun. There are many worlds, but they share the same sky — one sky, one destiny. Kairi._ " Miyu read aloud. His fingers brushed over the signature. "Kairi…" He folded the letter and slid it back into his desk drawer. "Whoever this belongs to is lucky to have someone like you caring about them. Real lucky."


	3. Dark Shroud

**Chapter III: Dark Shroud**

* * *

 _Low and heavy clouds hung in the sky over the Kingdom of Light. Sora found himself gazing out a window, as if stuck in a trance by the moving swirls of gray. His eyes slowly began to close._

 _"Sora," said an unexpected voice from behind. Sora snapped awake and turned around, picking up the tray he had laid on the windowsill. Lucky for him, it wasn't anyone who held authority over him. It was Riku. The only thing he held was a stack of papers in one hand. Sora relaxed a bit._

 _"You're never going to get anything done if you keep daydreaming," said Riku. He joined Sora at the window. "Looks like rain today." Sora glanced out the window again before looking over at his friend._

 _"Hopefully it doesn't." Sora and Riku walked away from the window and made their way down a corridor._

 _"Afraid of a little rain, are we?" Sora shook his head as his friend laughed._

 _"No. I just hate it. I always feel like something bad is going to happen. Especially with how cold it's been today." Riku rolled his eyes. "What?'_

 _"You make it sound like rain is a bad thing."_

 _"I'm not saying it isn't. With how heavy the clouds are, it looks like a storm. I'm not looking forward to having to seal everything up if that happens." Riku hummed a little bit. The boys were quiet. Sora's mind began to wander. His mind's eye became settled on the door he discovered a few nights before. The mysterious man… his ominous words… All of it sent chills back up Sora's spine the more he thought about it._

 _"Hey, are you alright?" Riku asked, nudging Sora back into reality. Sora slowly nodded. Riku groaned. "You're not thinking about that door again, are you?"_

 _After he had discovered the sealed door down in the basements, the first thing Sora did the next morning was tell Riku about it. Needless to say, Riku didn't believe him. Sora had attempted to retrace his steps in order to prove his story true, but he couldn't remember the path he took in the first place._

 _"So what if I am?" Sora said. "It's somewhere in the castle. I know it is. You have to believe me."_

 _"I will believe you," Sora stared at Riku, "when you have physical evidence." Sora sighed loudly._

 _"Do I need physical proof? I can't just pick up a door."_

 _"Once I see it for myself, I'll believe you."_

 _"I don't remember where it is."_

 _"Then I won't believe you." Sora felt like screaming. He had been trying long and hard to get Riku to believe him. Every attempt had been a failure._

 _"You look tired," said Riku, bringing Sora's attention towards him. "Is that door giving you weird dreams?"_

 _"No," Sora replied. "At least I don't think so." This is what drew Riku into the full of the conversation._

 _"So you are having strange dreams?" Riku asked. Sora nodded, trying to get the sleep out of his eyes with one hand._

 _"Yes. Ever since I found that door. It's been driving me insane."_

 _"They can't be that bad." Sora cast Riku a look. Riku sighed, running his one free hand through his hair. "Tell me what they're about. You're going to anyway, so might as well."_

 _"In all of them, I've been falling through darkness. I keep falling until I'm swallowed by the shadows. Except last night." Riku put a hand on Sora's shoulder, jerking him to a stop. He spun the boy to face him._

 _"What happened last night?" His tone was melted in with concern._

 _"Last night, the shadows didn't get to me," Sora explained. The dream replayed in his head like a memory that was far too vivid for its own good. "They twisted and became this…" Sora shuddered, "monster that I was forced to fight. It overpowered me and…" Sora's sentence drifted off from there._

 _"That's when you woke up. Am I right?" Riku guessed, picking up where Sora left off. Sora nodded._

 _"Yes." Riku genuinely sighed. He put an arm around Sora's shoulders, leading him somewhere._

 _"I wouldn't worry about it. A monster made from shadows? That sounds like dark magic. You remember why they call Lucidus the 'Kingdom of Light'?" Riku asked him. Sora shook his head._

 _"No." The two boys came to a stop at a window. It overlooked the entire city, extending a bit to the forest acting as Lucidus' border._

 _"The entire kingdom is protected by a barrier that prevents dark magic from getting in and being used within the kingdom," said Riku, gesturing out to the trees, "As long as that barrier's up, we're protected. Got it?"_

 _"Got it." Deep down in his heart, Sora didn't feel so positive about his answer._

* * *

Miyu was in a horrible mood. His mother had dragged him to Storybrooke's hospital at the crack of dawn. She had used the claim that Miyu needed to not laze around the house and actually get some fresh air. Miyu wasn't exactly sure how fresh the air could get in a place for the sick and injured.

As the pair entered, they were immediately greeted by one of the doctors on the floor. Miyu's eyes narrowed at the sight of dirty blonde hair.

"Good morning, Dr. Whale," said his mother in a polite and respected manner.

"Good morning, Hana," replied Dr. Whale. He looked past Hana's shoulder. "I see you brought your son with you."

"I believe it's good for the boy to get out of the house once in awhile." Miyu put on a forced smile, giving the man a small wave.

"Hi, Dr. Whale," he said flatly. The doctor ignored him and continued talking to his mother instead.

"Is this really necessary?" he asked. Hana nodded.

"Whale, he'll be fine," she told him. "By the looks of it, we're not busy, and aren't you the one who says we could always use more volunteers?" There was a pause. Whale looked between Miyu and his mother.

"Fine, but I'm not the one telling Stephan."

"Alright, I will when I see him." Hana turned to her son. "Miyu." He looked up at his mother.

"Yeah?" Miyu asked.

"Don't get in trouble."

"I won't. I won't." Miyu shoved his hands into his pockets. "Have some faith, mom." The boy headed off. After all, how much trouble could he get in at an empty hospital?

* * *

 _A loud crash rang throughout the room. Riku stumbled to get to his feet. Papers were scattered all over the floor. He could feel a bruise forming on his side._

 _"Useless boy!" snapped the man who had just smacked him into the table. "Do you care to explain why everything you brought me is wet?"_

 _"I don't know," Riku answered. He used one had to support himself on the table. "It's not my fault they're like that."_

 _"Lies!" This man was the reason Riku hated his job. Every other member of the council was docile. They wouldn't have even scolded him for something that was out of his control. This man, however, loathed the young page with a burning passion. He took every mistake as a chance to punish the boy. There wasn't anything Riku could do about it. In turn, he tried to avoid this man as much as possible._

 _Riku stood up on his own without the support of the table. The pain in his side had dulled enough to let him._

 _"It started to rain on my way here," continued Riku. "I can't control the weather." This earned him a look that could kill._

 _"Don't talk back to me." Riku narrowed his eyes._

 _"I can talk whenever I please." There was an underlying fierceness in his tone. "I don't have to listen to you." The man advanced on him. He seized Riku by the collar, pulling him in closer. Riku could smell wine on his breath._

 _"May I remind you, if it weren't for me you would be living on the streets," the man said through his teeth. "Or worse, burned into nothing but ashes. Just like your good for nothing parents." The man dropped Riku._

 _"Don't talk about them that way!" Riku found himself shouting. "You didn't know them!"_

 _"Neither did you." It had been true. Riku had very few memories of his birth parents. He had been just a small child when they were killed in a fire that turned the small house they lived in into nothing but ash. No one but him had survived. This man was the one who pulled him from the flames. At this point, Riku was finding it hard to believe that they were the same person. "Insolent brat!"_

 _The man went to slap Riku. Riku ducked before he could, moving out of the way of another injury._

 _"Don't touch me," he hissed. "You don't own me!"_

 _"But you owe me. I saved your life. You are forever in my debt. You're only here because of me!" This was one thing that Riku was reminded of daily. He would never be free from this. He would never be free to do what he wanted. He would never be free to leave._

 _"I don't have to stand here and take this." Riku stood up. He headed for the door._

 _"Get back here!" The man tried to grab Riku by the collar. He only missed by an inch. As soon as he was out the door, Riku broke out running. "Riku!"_

 _He didn't care anymore. He had to get away. He had to find a way out of the contract he had put himself into. Riku had to find a way to be free._

* * *

Miyu was wandering around the hospital. Dr. Whale was right. It was highly, and oddly, quiet. That never was a good sign in Miyu's eyes. Miyu let his mind wander. His daydreaming only stopped when he collided with someone. Papers were sent flying everywhere. Miyu shook his head to clear it from the sudden blow. He looked across at the dazed man in front of him. It was hard to tell if the man was dazed at all. The long bangs of the man's unnaturally steely blue hair covered one of his eyes.

"Hey, you alright?" Miyu asked.

"What?" said the man. He ran a hand through his hair. He bent down, not meeting Miyu's eyes. "Yes. I'm fine." Miyu bent down to help him gather up the fallen papers. Once the deed was done, Miyu held out the stack he had collected. The man took it in his hands. Miyu took note of the white coat he was wearing.

"You look a little young to be a doctor," Miyu said without thinking it over. The man looked up at him from the stack.

"That's because I'm not," said the man. His tone made it seem like the fact was obvious. "My name is Vince—"

"Corazza!" said a stern voice as the sound of footsteps approached them. Vince groaned.

"Crap," he said to himself. Vince turned to the man. He was far older than him with long, dirty blonde hair. His eyes, though a vivid green, looked about as cold as the atmosphere he brought with him. Miyu found it to give him an odd feeling of dread.

"Hello, Dr. Prince," said Vince. His voice was making it sound as if he was talking to Dr. Prince the same way Miyu spoke to Dr. Whale earlier.

"I believe I asked you to—" Dr. Prince started. His gaze fell on Miyu. "You. You're Hana's son, aren't you?"

"Uh… yes sir. I'm Miyu Irino," the boy said quickly. Dr. Prince gave him a feeling of intimidation. "My mom volunteered me to come in today."

"Volunteers are to stay out of the way. There is work to be done, and I refuse to let a child get in the way of that. Am I understood?"

"Yes." Miyu's voice almost jumped an octave. Dr. Prince turned his attention back to Vince.

"Corazza, I want your paper handed in to me before the day is done," he ordered, "Am I clear?"

"Crystal," said Vince in a sour tone. Dr. Prince walked down the hall without another word. Miyu shoved his hands back into his pockets. He noticed that the one aqua colored eye Vince had showing was reflecting an immense amount loathing at Dr. Prince.

"He seems…" Miyu couldn't find the right words to complete his sentence.

"Like an ass," Vince finished for him. "He treats me like a child because I'm a student."

"A what?" Miyu was confused. He had never seen Vince at the school before.

"A medical student." Now that made more sense to the boy. "This is where I'm studying."

"Okay?" Miyu was a bit confused. Why would anyone study in a place like Storybrooke? Vince didn't speak a word. He walked around Miyu and down the hall, leaving the boy alone. "See you around, I guess!" Vince didn't reply. Miyu drew his attention away from Vince when someone tapped on his shoulder. He turned. Behind him was a woman with a long brown braid.

"Mena," he said. "Hi."

"It's good to see you, Miyu," said Mena. " What're you doing here? Is everything okay?" Mena Suvari was one of his mother's coworkers. She was one of the people Miyu was closer to and actually trusted in the hospital.

"Yeah," Miyu said with a nod. "My mom volunteered me to come in today."

"That was kind of her." Miyu just shrugged at Mena's statement.

"I haven't done much volunteer work. There's nothing to do." The entire building was nearly abandoned, save for the staff on duty, Miyu himself and the patients.

"I have an idea," said Mena. "There's a ward below us. Why don't you go and spruce it up a bit? There's almost no one down there."

"Almost no one?" She nodded.

"Yes. We have one patient in that ward. Our John Doe," the nurse went on to explain, "He's in a coma, so you won't be bothering him either way." Miyu gave her a slight nod.

"Alright." Mena gave Miyu the directions down to the ward before the boy started off. After all, what could happen in an empty ward at the crack of dawn?

* * *

 _Riku had lost all sense of time. He didn't know how long he had spent winding down passageways and corridors. He didn't even remember when he stopped running and slowed his pace. When Riku finally got his mind back to reality, he realized one thing. He had gotten himself lost in a place he didn't recognize._

 _"I must've gone farther than I thought…" Riku continued walking down the strange and unfamiliar hallway. Being the palace's page, Riku was required to know the castle's layout by heart. It was a bad thing that he didn't know where he was._

 _Riku had come to a stop. At the end of the hallway was a large door. Across the door was a long, stone brick. Riku traced his hands over it. The door had matched the description of another door that Sora had given him._

 _"For once, Sora was right about something," Riku muttered under his breath._

 _"Riku!" came a shout from down the hall. Riku looked around. Someone had caught up with him. He wasn't going to stick around to find out who._

 _"No. I'm not going back." He slammed his hand against the door. It was the only way out._

 _"Open…" a small voice came in but a simple whisper. Riku gazed around. He was alone._

 _"What?"_

 _"Open…" the voice had become increasingly louder. "Open the door…"_

 _"This is getting stranger and stranger by the minute." Riku sighed. He should go back. If he didn't, he would be in only more trouble when he was finally caught._

 _"Open the door!" The voice was screaming in his ears now. "Power… Freedom… beyond the door…" Riku stared at the door. He had a choice to make: go back to his life, or everything he desired._

 _Riku started to push the stone brick away from the door. It hit the ground, smashing against the unkempt tile._

 _Shadows crawled out from the door, taking shape as darkness seeped out from the door and into Lucidus._

* * *

Miyu leaned up against a wall. Mena was right. The ward was nearly empty. Besides himself, there was an nameless man with dirty blonde hair lying in a dreamless sleep. It was quiet.

"Not that big of a mess…" Miyu muttered to himself. He looked around once again. The ward was fairly clean. "I'm starting to think she's just gave me busy work." Miyu walked towards the exit. Something took his balance away, causing him to fall. His vision went black before he even hit the ground.

* * *

Mamoru was supposed to have the day off. That had only become a simple dream when he was called in to help with a missing person. He didn't expect it to bring him to the town hospital.

He stared in through the window to the now patientless room. He was listening to Graham as he spoke to Dr. Whale about what had just happened. Everything he knew so far was coming from this conversation. Both of their attention was drawn away from the current situation as footsteps rapidly approached. Emma, Henry, and Mary Margaret had arrived.

"You're right—he's waking up," said Henry to the two women who had entered the ward with him.

"Henry, you should stay back," Mamoru said, extending out an arm to prevent the boy from going any further.

"What's going on?" Mary Margaret asked. "Is it John Doe? Is he okay?" Mamoru exchanged a look with his boss.

"He's missing," said Graham. The door to the room under investigation opened. Out walked Regina, and she was not pleased to see both Emma and Henry in the same room.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked. Definitely not pleased. "And you –" Regina turned to Henry, "I thought you were at the arcade. Now you're lying to me?"

"What happened to John Doe?" Mary Margaret said, ignoring everything Regina had just told them. "Did someone take him?"

"We don't know yet," replied Graham before the mayor could answer. "His IVs were ripped out but there's no sign for sure there's a struggle."

"What did you do?" Henry asked his mother. Regina's face drained of color.

"You think I had something to do with this?" she said, sounding as if she were under attack.

"It is curious that the mayor is here," Emma added in to Henry's suspicion. Mamoru was honestly curious about this as well. Graham hadn't explained anything fully to him yet. He didn't even know why Regina was there in the first place.

"I'm here because I'm his emergency contact," Regina said, answering Emma's inquisition.

"You know him?" Mary Margaret asked.

"I found him. On the side of the road years ago with no ID. I brought him here."

"Mayor Mills saved his life," added Dr. Whale.

"Will he be okay?" Mary Margaret said. Mamoru glanced over at the empty bed. He couldn't help but wonder how John Doe had woken up after so many years. Or wonder why Mary Margaret was so worried about a single patient she didn't know.

"Okay? The man's been on feeding tubes for years on constant supervision," Dr. Whale continued. "He needs to get back here right away or, quite honestly, 'okay' might be a pipe dream." Mamoru's question was answered. The situation just went from being a missing person to a life-or-death mission.

"Well then, let's quit yapping and start looking," said Emma.

"That's what we're doing," Regina said. "Just stay out of this, dear. And since I clearly can't keep you away from my son, I guess I'm just going to have to keep my son away from you. Enjoy my shirt, because that's all you're getting." Mamoru blinked at the last sentence. Regina turned to Graham and the boy under his employment. "Both of you, find John Doe. You heard Dr. Whale. Time is precious." Regina left, taking a resistant Henry with her.

"Doctor, how long between your rounds since you last saw him?" Graham asked Dr. Whale as soon as Regina was out of earshot.

"Twelve hours or so," the doctor replied.

"No one was around here then?" Mamoru asked. Dr. Whale gestured over behind them. Mamoru's mood turned from malcontent to just plain bitter.

"I was," said Miyu Irino.

"Great," Mamoru muttered under his breath. Of all people, this boy had to be the witness.

"I was volunteering. I…" Miyu hesitated for a moment. "I got hit in the head and knocked out."

"When?" said Graham. Miyu glanced over their faces.

"Judging by the clock and the bruise on my head I'm guessing about four hours?" Graham nodded.

"Then that's what we need to account for."

* * *

The only place that could help was the security room. Countless of hours of videotapes, as well as two other potential witnesses/suspects, could be found here. Walter, the hospital security guard, and Leroy, the hospital janitor were already waiting for them.

"You two were the only employees on the floor at the time," Mamoru asked the pair after Graham had given had explanation to the problem at hand. "And you saw nothing?"

"Not a thing," said Walter.

"Did anyone walk by?" Emma added.

"I didn't see nothin'," said Leroy.

"Miss Blanchard, was there anything unusual you saw during your trip with your class yesterday?" Graham asked the teacher that had come with them.

"I don't think so," replied Mary Margaret. Emma looked over at the security tape playing.

"We're looking at the wrong tape. This is the ward where Henry's class put up decorations," said Emma. "If this was really the tape from last night, we'd see the banners the kids hung."

"Tch, you fell asleep again," said Leroy.

"You selling me out?" Walter said.

"I ain't getting fired for this."

"At least I don't drink on the job."

"Gentlemen, enough," said Graham, calming the two men down. "Where's the real tape?" The tape was switched. It showed one piece of evidence that was failed to be mentioned earlier.

"You slipped and fell…" Mamoru said as the tape played, showing exactly what Miyu had done to knock himself out cold, "and hit your head on a bedpost."

"Shut up," said Miyu. Not too long after the tape showed Miyu hitting his head, it played the one thing they were looking for. Everyone watched as they saw John Doe get up and walk out the door of his own free will.

"He walked out alone," said Mary Margaret, sounding relieved. "He's okay." Emma checked the time on the tape.

"Four hours ago," she said. "Shortly after you slipped."

"I didn't slip!" Miyu said, trying to defend what was left of his dignity.

"Right," said Mamoru in the most sarcastic tone he could come up with. "You were downed by the vicious puddle of water."

"Hey, I never—"

"Enough," Emma said to the two boys. They ceased their starting argument. Emma looked over at Leroy. "Where does this door lead?"

"The woods," Leroy answered. Mamoru felt something stab at him. The forest surrounding a majority of Storybrooke was rather large, and time was running out.

* * *

 _It wasn't even long after it had begun that the rain had escalated into a full blown storm. Wind whipped at the castle. Sora had been roped into helping two of the guards seal up the outer doors and windows to prevent damage to the palace's interior. This was a job he always tried to avoid, and a job he was always doing._

 _The roar of thunder rumbled from outside, catching Sora's attention as he carried a wooden bar in his hands. He gazed outside. In the darkness of the cloudy night sky, lightning flashed. It struck fairly close by._

 _"Sora," said a guard, "hurry up and quit gawking." Sora nodded._

 _"Got it!" he said. A younger, brunette guard joined him in carrying the wooden block to the door. Together, they set it in place, keeping the elements from breaking down the door._

 _"There," said the young guard. "That should… huh?" Just like Sora did earlier, the young man's eyes drifted towards the window. He and his colleague both stared out it._

 _"What's wrong?" Sora asked, confused._

 _"This isn't a normal storm," said the older guard. Sora peered out the window. He felt his body go rigid. The rain was falling in thick, black drops._

 _A loud clatter drew everyone's attention away from the outside world and the black rain. The torches that had illuminated the grand entry hall had gone out. The only sources of light was the light from outside. The dark shadows that now cascaded the hall grew. They peeled themselves from the walls and took on form. The creatures bore a resemblance to large, twitching bugs with their antenna and clawed fingers. Their glowing yellow eyes cut through Sora like a hot knife._

 _"Oh my god!" shouted the older guard. Both him and his younger drew the swords at their sides._

 _"Stay behind me," the brunette guard said, forcing Sora to stay behind him with one arm. Sora couldn't break eye contact with the creatures. They were the exact same as the shadows that had been constantly attacking him in his dreams. But as Riku had said, they were a product of dark magic. Dark magic couldn't get in or be used in Lucidus._

 _"Dark magic… but how?" said the brunette guard. He was as confused as Sora was. "Lucidus is protected!"_

 _"The barrier's been broken!" said the older guard, sounding furious as he stared down the creatures._

 _"And no one was told?!"_

 _"Only the King knew! It's been broken for almost a decade!" Sora felt a pit drop in his stomach. His body went rigid. That couldn't be true. Could it?_

 _"Ten years?! " the younger guard started to say. He was cut off by one of the creatures lunging at the older guard. It latched onto him before plunging one of its clawed hands into the guard's chest. The guard gasped as if all breath was withdrawn from his lungs. The creature tore away from the guard's chest. Sora felt bile rise in his throat. The creature was holding the guard's still beating heart. It glowed red in its hands._

 _Black tendrils covered the heart, smothering it with its power. The creature pushed off of the guard. The black tendrils extended to him, swallowing him up in the shadows. All that remained of him was his sword. Another one of the shadow creatures writhed itself from the spot where the guard had vanished. Sora was pushed closer behind the younger—and now remaining—guard._

 _"We have to get everyone out of here," the guard said loud enough for Sora to hear. As Sora stared at the creatures of darkness, all he could hear was his heart beating in his chest. Only two faces echoed in his mind._

 _"Kairi… Riku…" Sora muttered to himself. He dashed forward without warning, snatching up the fallen knight's sword._

 _"Sora! Get back here!" shouted the guard. Sora didn't listen. He dove into the mass of shadows, determined to find his friends before the shadows did._

* * *

The search party for John Doe had moved out into the woods. Mamoru had lost some sense of time. Even if you asked him, he wouldn't be able to respond how long he, Mary Margaret, Emma, Miyu (unfortunately) and Graham had been searching. Graham, who was leading the party, came to a halt. Everyone else stopped behind him.

"What is it?" asked Emma.

"The trail runs out here," Graham said.

"You sure? Because I thought tracking was one of your skills."

"Just give me a second. This is my world. I got it." With a small nod from the sheriff, Mamoru went to follow. He wasn't a few steps away when it started.

"Wait up," said Miyu. He moved to the front of the party. Mamoru turned on his heel, keeping Miyu from going any further.

"No," said Mamoru. "You stay here."

"You can't make me do what I don't want to."

"I'll go up ahead," said Graham.

"Wait—" Mamoru said. Graham was already gone. The teen groaned. He met Miyu's gaze. "You want me to suffer, don't you?"

"It's not like I enjoy being with you either," said Miyu.

"What are you doing here?" Miyu shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets as if he were a child feigning innocence.

"I feel guilty," he explained. "If I had been more careful, this wouldn't have happened. Unlike you, I have a conscience."

"I have a conscience, and it's telling me you're—" Mamoru was cut off by the sound of a stick breaking. Hoping it was John Doe, they turned around. Most unfortunately, it wasn't the missing person.

"Henry!" said Mary Margaret as the boy ran down the hill to meet them.

"Did you find him yet?" Henry asked. He was acting like he was supposed to be here.

"No, not yet," replied Emma. "You shouldn't be here."

"I can help. I know where he's going."

"And where's that?" Mary Margaret asked. Henry turned to her.

"He's looking for you."

* * *

 _Sora was running. He didn't know where he was going, he just had one thing on his mind. He had to find Riku and Kairi before it was too late._

 _"Sora, get back here!" said the guard Sora had abandoned just moments before. He was following after him. Sora suddenly came to a jarring stop when the guard had finally caught him. "Sora. We need to get everyone out of here. Including you." Sora scrambled to try and pry armored fingers off of him._

 _"Let go of me!" he protested, failing at any attempt to free himself._

 _"No. Everyone means everyone. Sora!"_

 _"I have to find Riku and Kairi!"_

 _"Sora!"_

 _"No!" There was the sound of fabric being torn. Sora had finally gotten himself free. He looked the guard dead in the eyes. "I won't leave without them! I'd never forgive myself if I do!" Sora went take off again._

 _"Sora!" He stopped, looking back at the guard._

 _"Don't try and stop me." From behind the guard, the shadows rose up. Sora put his defense up, raising the sword in his hands. "Look out!" Luckily, the guard had caught Sora's warning in time. Before the creatures could attack, the guard stabbed at the closest one. Sora felt his blood run cold. The sword did nothing to harm it. It only succeeded in pushed the creature back._

 _"Our weapons aren't doing anything to them," said the guard. He backed up closer to Sora._

 _"That's bad, right?" There was a pause. Then, the creatures attacked. Sora did his best to fight against them, but the guard stood in his way every time. Sora was starting to get fed up with this behavior._

 _"Hey, I can help!" he said. His grip on the blade's handle tightened._

 _"No, you can't," said the guard. "You don't even know how to use a sword." Sora glanced off down the corridor. He was far away from his goal. He had to keep going._

 _"Doesn't mean I can't try." Sora took off running again. He used the sword in his hands to deflect anything that came at him. He could hear the voice of the guard turn into an anguished cry. Sora didn't dare to look back._

* * *

Emma, Graham, Henry, Mamoru, Miyu and Mary Margaret were still searching for John Doe. Henry was still with them. They couldn't get the boy to return back into town.

"For the tenth time, Henry," said Mamoru, "Go home." He hadn't exactly given up on getting Henry to return home.

"No," said Henry. "I want to help."

"You're the one who's saying John Doe's looking for Mary Margaret," Miyu added. "That's not much help." It seemed like Mamoru and Miyu agreed on something.

"Because he is! She's the one who woke him up. She's the last one he saw. He wants to find her!"

"Henry, it's not about me. I just…" Mary Margaret said, trying to find the right words to say, "I think he's lost and confused. He's been in a coma a long time."

"But he loves you! You need to stop chasing him, and let him find you." Henry wasn't giving up on this. Miyu let out a small groan, looking back at Henry.

"Are you talking about your theory and your book again?" asked Miyu. He shook his head. "Henry, those are just stories."

"But they're real!"

"Kid. You need to go home," said Emma. "Where's your mom? She's going to kill me and then you… and then me again."

"She dropped me at the house," Henry told his birth mother. "Then, went right out."

"Well, we need to get you back immediately."

"No!"

"Guys!" shouted Graham. The group ran over to where he was. He shined a light on his discovery.

Caught on a plant was a hospital bracelet. It was speckled with red, but the name was clear to read. It was John Doe's. There was a trail of red beyond it.

"Is that…" said Mary Margaret.

"Blood," Emma finished for her.

"I'm going to be sick," said Miyu, placing a band over his mouth.

"Please don't," Mamoru said. "We need to hurry."

* * *

 _Sora just kept running. The entire palace was overrun with these creatures of darkness. Broken glass littered the floor in front of the windows. They had made their way into the kingdom itself. Through it all, Sora kept his friends on his mind. He needed to find them. He needed to make sure they were safe._

 _Sora rounded a corner. He felt relief wash over him as he spotted a familiar head of silver hair._

 _There was Riku. He was standing in the middle of the corridor. As he got closer, Sora could spot several injuries on his friend, including a nasty looking gash on his cheek. Riku wasn't moving. It was as if he was hypnotized._

 _"Riku!" shouted Sora as soon as he got close enough. Riku didn't respond. "Where's Kairi? Is she with you?"_

 _"The door has opened…" Riku said in a hushed whisper._

 _"What?" Riku's head snapped up quick enough to make Sora step back. There was a fierce look to his eyes that made Sora uneasy._

 _"The door has opened, Sora!" Riku repeated. "You were right! You were right all along!"_

 _"What are you talking about? We have to find Kairi and get out of here!"_

 _"Kairi's coming with us!" Sora's eyes widened. There was something about Riku. He was acting strangely. It was sending a chill up Sora's spine. "Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our home again. There's no turning back, but this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!" The dark shadows cascaded behind him. Riku held out a hand toward Sora. "Just come with me."_

 _"Riku…"_

 _The shadows started to seep into the ground underneath Riku's feet. It began to wrap itself around him, dancing up his legs. Riku didn't do anything to stop it._

 _Sora rushed forward, extending out a hand to grab Riku's. He had to get him out of the darkness before it took him. Suddenly, Sora found himself unable to move. The shadows had found him. They were swallowing him up. His worst nightmares were coming true. Sora tightened his grip on the sword in his hand. Riku's expression was unchanged. Sora tried to reach out to him. The darkness was too much. It burned his body. Sora let out a scream._

 _Everything turned to black. Sora felt like he was on fire. The pain was unbearable, but he couldn't make a sound. He couldn't scream. Even if he could, who would hear him? He was alone._

 _Sora felt a warmth coming from his right hand. Unlike the rest of his body, this heat was more caring and tender. It extended throughout his being and acted as if it was a barrier from the darkness. Sora saw a light in the distance. He went towards it. The light filled his vision. The heat in his hand molded and twisted itself. Sora felt something metallic take its place._

 _Sora opened his eyes. His balance was off, causing him to stumble forward. It was only when he regained his footing did Sora realize where he was. He was back in the castle._

 _He felt his heart drop. Where Riku had been standing before was now just an empty space. Riku was gone._

 _Out of the shadows, one of the creatures of darkness lunged at Sora. Taking a chance and purely reacting on instinct, Sora swung the sword in his hand. It felt heavier than before. Sora remained still. The sword had killed the creature._

 _After Sora watched it fade away into the shadows, he stared down at his weapon. His eyes widened. It wasn't the sword he had taken up earlier. Although it's golden handle and silver blade shone like a sword, the tip of the blade was pointed like the teeth of a key, cut out with a crown shape. A chain with a strange token attached at the end hung from the pommel of the weapon. In truth, the entire blade looked like a giant key._

 _"What is this thing…?" Sora said to himself. He couldn't take his eyes off the mysterious blade. That's when the castle's invaders came at him. Sora used the blade to the best of its defense. To his surprise, it cut through them like a hot knife through butter. Their bodies turned into pure darkness before fading completely. Sora was beyond shocked. He stared down at the key. This was the only thing that could kill those creatures._

 _Even though Riku was gone, Sora's self-given mission was not yet over. He darted deeper into the shadows, determined to find Kairi before he lost her as well. The key was the only thing that could protect the both of them now._

* * *

The six were still combing the woods. They had to be quick. A life was at risk.

They followed the trail of blood down the Storybrooke's old toll bridge. It had been out of use for as long as anyone could remember, despite the bridge being in usable condition. The water rushed underneath. The group of six leaned over the edge of the bridge before exploring the water.

"Where is he?" said Mary Margaret."Can you see him?"

"The trail dies at the water line," Graham said.

"This is bad," Mamoru muttered. Miyu looked around. Amongst the stones and the water, he spotted one thing that stood out of place. A human body.

"Found him!" Miyu called down by the shoreline. Face down in the water was John Doe. The six raced towards him.

"Oh my god!" Mary Margaret cried repeatedly. "Oh my god! Oh my god!" Mamoru rolled up the sleeves of his jacket.

"I need an ambulance!" said Graham into the radio he had on his shoulder, "At the old Toll Bridge, as soon as possible." Emma, Graham, Mamoru and Mary Margaret went down to the river. Together, they used their combined strength to carry John Doe to the shore. He wasn't breathing.

"No, no, no, no, no! No, no, no! I found you!"

"It's going to be okay," said Emma.

"Help's coming," Graham added.

"Let's just hope it's quick enough," said Mamoru.

"Is he okay?" asked Henry. Emma turned to Henry, shielding him away from the sight.

"Henry…" said Emma.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"Henry, don't look. Okay? Don't look." Mary Margaret began repeatedly pushed down on his chest with her hands in a desperate attempt at CPR. It was the only thing they could do now. After several attempts, nothing happened.

"Come back to us," she muttered. "Come back to me." Mary Margaret put her mouth to his as a last resort to revive him. There was a moment. No one moved.

When it seemed like death was inevitable, John Doe started breathing again. He coughed up the water in his lungs, sputtering it back out. He looked at Mary Margaret.

"You saved me," said John Doe.

"She did it. She did it!" said Henry. "She woke him up."

"Yeah, kid," said Emma. "She did."

"Thank god," Miyu sighed. Mamoru felt his erratic heartbeat slow down. It seemed to be a miracle. There was no plausible way John Doe should have been alive.

"Thank you" said John Doe to Mary Margaret.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"It's okay. You're going to be okay."

* * *

After Mary Margaret revived John Doe, the ambulance had arrived. Everyone was taken back to the hospital. There was a sense of relief in the air as the nurses and John Doe's doctor made their way to his room.

"Watch your back," said one of the nurses. "Coming through!"

"We got it from here," Dr. Whale reassured them before rushing into the room himself..

"Thank you," said Mamoru. The six who had been in the search party watched through the outside glass door as he was being treated by doctors.

Without so much as a warning, a blonde woman burst into the room where John Doe was being treated and rushed to his side.

"David! David, is that you?" said the woman.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" said Dr. Whale, trying to force the woman back.

"Oh my god…"

"Ma'am, you can't be in here. Please, you can't be here right now."

"David…"

"You can't be here, ma'am. Can you wait over here for a second, okay?"

"That's…" Miyu said from outside the room, "weird." Mamoru couldn't help but give a small nod.

"Who is that?" said Mary Margaret. She was reading everyone's mind.

"His wife." Everyone turned. Regina was right behind them.

* * *

 _The dark creatures appeared around Sora as he made his way through the castle. Areas of it were starting to give out underneath his feet. It was getting harder and harder to move about._

 _The creatures were becoming a large problem. While the strange blade Sora had come to possess was useful in defeating the horde, the creatures just seem to double with each one he struck down._

 _Sora ran up to the higher levels of the castle. He was heading to Kairi's room. After all that had happened, he knew she would be there. That's where he last saw her._

 _Sora was relieved to find that the door was still standing. However, when he went to open it, he found it locked. Sora rammed up against the door multiple times. He barely even made a dent. It wasn't until the door frame actually gave away on its own did Sora make it inside._

 _"Kairi!" he shouted. There she was. Kairi was standing in the middle of the room. She was having trouble standing. Kairi looked like she was about to collapse at any moment._

 _Kairi turned towards Sora. Her eyes, usually filled with a wonderful spark, were dull and empty. She was deathly pale._

 _"Sora…" Kairi said, her voice barely above a whisper. Kairi made an attempt to move forward to him. She couldn't even make the slightest movement without shaking. Sora felt the weapon in his hand dissipate. He didn't care._

 _The floor beneath them started to quake. Sora sprinted forward. He had reached Kairi just as the floor gave out. He wrapped his arms around her as tight as he possibly could._

 _"I got you. You're going to be fine," Sora whispered repeatedly. He could hear the wind rushing on his ears. "I'm not going to let you go. We will survive this."_

 _These were Sora's last words before something struck his head, and his world turned black._

* * *

Regina explained to the doctors who the woman was. Now, John Doe—or David—and his wife were in the room together. Emma, Henry, Mary Margaret, Miyu, Mamoru and Regina were outside the room.

"It may be the bump on my head, but what's going on?" asked Miyu.

"I agree with you," Mamoru said, earning a double take from Miyu. "Don't act so surprised. Who was that woman?"

"His name is David Nolan. And that's his wife, Kathryn," Regina explained, "And the joy on her face, well, it's put me in quite the forgiving mood." She turned on her son. "We'll talk about your insubordination later. Do you know what insubordination means? It means you're grounded." Kathryn exited David's room before Regina could continue.

"Thank you," said Kathryn. She looked so relieved and happy. "Thank you for finding my David."

"Um, I-I don't understand," said Mary Margaret. "You didn't… you didn't know that he was here in a coma?" That was strange. All eyes fell on Kathryn, putting her in the spotlight.

"A few years ago, David and I were not getting along. It was my fault, I know that now. I was difficult and unsupportive," Kathryn said, telling her story, "I told him if he didn't like things, he could leave. And he did. And I didn't stop him. It was the worst mistake I ever made."

"You didn't go look for him?" asked Emma.

"That's a bad sign you need—" Miyu started to say before Mamoru covered his mouth.

"You know nothing about relationships," he said. "Shut up." Miyu's eyes narrowed. Something wet touched Mamoru's hand. Mamoru pulled it away, allowing Miyu to speak again.

"Not necessary," Miyu said.

"Neither was that." Mamoru wiped his hand on his jeans.

"I assumed he'd left town all this time. And now I know why I never heard from him," continued Kathryn. "Now I get to do what I've wanted to do forever – say I'm sorry. Now we get a second chance."

"That's wonderful," said Mary Margaret. Mamoru knew that look Mary Margaret had. Her outward joy was forced. Dr. Whale entered into the conversation as he came out of David's room.

"Well, it's something of a miracle," he told them.

"He's okay?" asked Kathryn.

"Ah, physically, he's on the mend, um, his memory is another issue. It may take time, if at all." Mamoru allowed a small, hidden smile to cross his face. They had made it. He was going to live.

"What brought him back?" asked Mary Margaret. She was asking the right question.

"That's the thing," said Dr. Whale. "There's no explanation. Something just clicked in him."

"He just got up and decided to go for a stroll?" said Emma. She didn't seem to believe it.

"He woke up and he was delirious and his first instinct was to go find something, I guess."

"Someone," said Henry, looking to Mary Margaret.

"Can I see him?" Kathryn asked the doctor.

"Yeah, of course," said Whale. Kathryn went back into David's room with him.

"Henry, let's go," said Regina to her son.

"Wait, my backpack," said Henry. He went back to grab his backpack from where he had dropped it off when the search party had returned to the hospital. He whispered to Mary Margaret. "Don't believe them. You're the one he was looking for."

"Henry…" said Mary Margaret, an expression of disbelief on her face.

"He was going to the Troll Bridge. It's like the end of the story." Mary Margaret shook her head.

"Henry, he was going there because it's the last thing I read to him."

"No, it's because you belong together."

"Henry," said Regina, raising her voice. She and Henry left together. Emma left soon after, followed by Mary Margaret.

"Well, this was an eventful day," said Miyu. Mamoru internally groaned. They had been left alone together.

"You said it," Mamoru muttered.

"Miyu!" shouted a voice, shattering the silence between the two teens.

"Uh-oh," Miyu said, going pale. They turned around just in time to see a worried woman in a nurse's uniform rushing towards them.

"Are you okay?" said the woman. "They told me you hit your head pretty badly."

"I'm fine," said Miyu. The woman's gaze fell on Mamoru.

"Who's this?" she asked.

"None of your—" Miyu said quickly, only to be silenced by a single glance from her.

"Miyu, be polite," she said. The woman extended her hand to Mamoru, who shook it. "I'm Hana, Miyu's mother." Hana turned back to her son. "Miyu, you didn't tell you had such a nice boy for a friend. I wish you would bring your friends around more often."

"He's not my friend," Miyu said before sighing. "Can I please go home so I don't have to be around him?"

"I was sending you home anyway. Especially after that bump you got." Miyu's face lit up.

"Thank you!" The boy looked like he couldn't get out of the hospital ward fast enough. Mamoru watched him go.

"Will you please explain to me how someone like you gives birth to someone like that?" Mamoru asked Hana when Miyu was out of an earshot.

"I'll take it as a compliment," said Hana. "My son means well. He's just stubborn." Mamoru felt like rolling his eyes.

"Stubborn is one word for it." He was speaking with nothing but sarcasm. Hana's eyes fell on Mamoru's left arm. Her face became painted with concern.

"Your arm." Mamoru glanced down. He felt his blood run cold. Standing out against his skin like wine on a white shirt was a dark purple bruise the size of his fist. "Do you mind me asking what happened?" Mamoru quickly pulled down the sleeve of his jacket. He had almost forgotten they had been rolled up in the first place.

"I must have gotten it looking for John— I mean David. Don't worry about it." He quickly walked away before Hana could say anything else. Mamoru didn't need other people getting into his personal business.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **The following are the Storybrooke names mentioned in this chapter that are related to Kingdom Hearts/Final Fantasy characters that have been introduced this chapter.**

 **Ienzo/Zexion: Vince Corazza**

 **Even/Vexen: Stephan Prince**

 **Aerith: Mena Suvari**


	4. The Price of Gold

**Chapter IV: The Price of Gold**

* * *

The golden sun was shining down on Storybrooke. The light made its way through the window of the sheriff's station. It illuminated the face of Mamoru Miyano, who was well into a deep sleep.

The door to the station creaked open and closed again when the sheriff of Storybrooke entered. He didn't make it very far when he saw the boy. His head was resting against the desk, his arms folded to support it. This was the most peaceful Graham had ever seen him. He crossed over, tapping the boy on the shoulder.

"Miyano…" said Graham. When Mamoru didn't stir, Graham shook his shoulder. "Mamoru." The boy lazily opened his eyes. Mamoru stared up at Graham, not moving from the position he was in.

"What?" Mamoru said with a low tone.

"How late were you here?" Graham asked. Mamoru slowly sat up, stretching out his arms in the process.

"I don't know. I was finishing something up last I remember."

"That's not your job." Mamoru felt a sour taste on his mouth. He refused to meet Graham's gaze.

"It's part of it. I don't see what the problem with me working late is."

"You only work part-time. It's illegal for me to keep you here this." Mamoru looked up at Graham. He leaned back in the chair.

"Then let me work full time." Graham shook his head.

"You're only seventeen."

"I'll turn eighteen in June." The sheriff sighed.

"Mamoru, as much as I would appreciate the extra help—"

"Then hire another person to help," Mamoru said, cutting Graham off. "There's money in the budget for a deputy. I should know. I checked it last night. Like you said, I'm underage and can't do it." There was a brief pause.

"Maybe I will." Graham tapped Mamoru's shoulder again with the back of his hand. "Get your things together. I'll give you a ride." Mamoru felt relieved as he snatched up the bag at his feet.

"Thank you."

* * *

 _Sora had a love-hate relationship with his position in life. On the one hand, he could travel the world. He was free to do so much more and meet so many people. Then there were the responsibilities he had. One of them included having to wear a stiff collared suit to formal events._

 _Ella's wedding was the occasion this time. The young woman Sora had met, and saved, over two years ago was marrying the prince of another kingdom. He, Riku and Kairi were invited as the representatives of Lucidus and friends of the bride._

 _"Why do I have to wear this?" Sora asked as they entered the ballroom where the reception was being held. He felt incredibly awkward._

 _"Oh come on Sora," said Kairi. She took Sora's hands in hers, lifting up his chin so their eyes met. "It's not that bad."_

 _"Easy for you to say. You're wearing a skirt."_

 _"And a corset." Kairi took a moment to take in Sora's appearance. She fixed his collar. "You look like a prince." Sora wrapped his arms around her waist, making her yelp in surprise._

 _"Does that make you my princess?" Kairi laughed._

 _"I'm already your princess." She placed an innocent kiss on Sora's cheek. Their embrace got closer._

 _"Okay, you two," said someone from behind. They broke apart to see Riku walking towards them. His appearance was more relaxed than it had been earlier. "Any better?"_

 _"You look like yourself if that's what you mean," said Sora. "What happened to keeping up appearances?"_

 _"This is what happens when someone who doesn't think gets too close to me." Riku pulled aside his jacket to reveal a large reddish purple blotch on his shirt. "Unfortunately." The wine stain was highly noticeable against the white of Riku's shirt._

 _"I'll switch with you." Riku shook his head, layering the jacket back over the mark._

 _"No. You're two sizes smaller than me. I'll stick with the the stained one." Sora and Kairi both laughed at this._

 _"Shall we go dance then?" Kairi suggested, taking the skirt of her dress in one hand. She did a small twirl._

 _"I'm warning you now," said Riku. "I'm not the best dancer." Sora smirked. It was true. At any dance related event, Riku had always stood off to the side._

 _"Neither am I, what's your point?" Kairi said with a warm smile. She turned to the dance floor. Her happy demeanor faded when she was only a few steps away. Her face went blank and her body went rigid._

 _"Kairi, are you okay?" said a worried Sora. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Kairi."_

 _"Your highness?" said Riku, joining Sora at Kairi's side. Kairi shook her head._

 _"Something's not right," she said in a hushed whisper. "I feel a powerful, dark presence. Like it's—"_

 _"Don't say it," Sora cut in. He didn't want to hear it. She knew he didn't want to hear that name._

 _"Over there." Kairi made a small gesture to show the two what she was feeling. Sora felt his heart stop. He wrapped a hand around Kairi's. Dancing on the floor was Rumpelstiltskin. He was with the bride. Ella._

 _"What's he doing here?" he said. His voice was low and showed a sense of defense._

 _"How should I know?" Riku was the one who answered. Kairi broke the hold Sora had on her as soon as the man vanished. She weaved through the crowd, making her way over to Ella._

 _"Ella!" Kairi called out to get her attention. "Is everything alright?"_

 _"Princess Kairi," Ella said. It was as if she didn't expect someone to see her. "I… um… yes. I'm fine. I couldn't be happier, in fact." Ella's blue eyes told another story._

* * *

When Mamoru arrived at the high school, everything was instantly blocked out. This was his habit. Everything that didn't matter was always blocked out. It made things go by quicker that way. It wasn't until he was halfway to his homeroom class that he snapped out of his trance.

"Mamoru," said voice from behind. Mamoru stopped and in a full hundred-eighty degree turn. Miyu was approaching him.

"Miyu," said Mamoru, not sounding too pleased to see the boy.

"You look like death," he said.

"Thanks." Mamoru's tone was painted with a voice of sarcasm.

"Hey, Miyano! Irino!" This shout drew both of the boys' attention. One of their classmates was running up to them.

"What do you want?" Mamoru asked bitterly.

"Is it true?" their classmate asked. Miyu and Mamoru exchanged a confused look with one another.

"Is what true?"

"The entire school is talking about it. Is it true you guys help find the John Doe over at the hospital?" Oh. It was that they were talking about.

"It's part of my job, so yes." Miyu just shrugged.

"I was just in the right place at the right time," he said with a honest grin.

"You two are like heroes!" said the underclassman.

"I wouldn't go that far."

"But it's true. Isn't it?" Mamoru had started to take notice of a small crowd forming around them. The grip on his bag tightened.

"Surprise, surprise," said a boy in a grade below Mamoru. "Biggest rivalry in town can actually get along?" He looked over at him. This was getting to be a pain.

"There was a life in danger, Justin," said Mamoru. "You would have done the same thing."

"Would we?" There was a pause. Mamoru had his eyes narrowed. From under his silver bangs, it made him look menacing to the crowd around him. His hair was far too long. In the end, Mamoru shook his head.

"You guys are crazy." He pushed his way through the students, making his way to his first class of the day. He just wanted to the the school day over with.

Miyu watched the silver-haired boy leave as the crowd dispersed around him. Only one person remained. A young girl in Miyu's class.

"Mrs. Nolan's pretty happy about it," she said. Miyu began walking to his homeroom, with her following.

"How do you know?" he asked.

"I live next door. She missed her husband for the longest time. I saw her face when the mayor told her what happened." The girl twirled a bit of her brown hair around her finger. "She was so happy."

"I didn't know," Miyu said with a small shrug. He didn't remember much about being at the hospital that day. "She looked so relieved when I saw her at the hospital."

"Maybe you could come by some time and meet her." Miyu felt his face and the back of his neck flare up.

"I… uh… I have work, and schoolwork to do." It was the best excuse he could come up with.

"It'll be just for a while. I promise." Miyu looked over at her. She had a look on her face that made him feel guilty. He sighed.

"Alright, Jessica. I'll meet you after my shift today, okay?" Jessica smiled. To Miyu, that was a yes. Miyu watched her go. He silently wished he didn't do that. Accepting her proposal just felt wrong to him somehow.

* * *

 _A few weeks had passed since the wedding, and Kairi seemed more on edge than she had been in recent times. Sora was starting to think that Kairi should have stopped going to weddings all together._

 _Sora watched Kairi pace back and forth across the room. Her skirt was skitting over the floor with every step. It never settled on the floor._

 _"Kairi, calm down," said Sora. He stood up from the chair he had taken over. "Please." Kairi shook her head. She stopped pacing in order to face him._

 _"I can't," she said. "First it was the Queen's threat, now it's this." Kairi turned away from Sora._

 _"I do admit, it is strange that the Dark One was there."_

 _"Strange?" Kairi whirled back around. "Try unexplainable. I want to know why he was there. And why no one else noticed it." Kairi was almost over the edge at this point._

 _"Riku and I only saw him because of you." Sors put his hands on her shoulders. The pair made eye contact with each other. "Take a deep breath and relax." Kairi followed Sora's advice. She took his hands off of her._

 _"Okay. Okay," she said, drawing in slow breaths before releasing them, "I'm calm." The door to the room opened. Riku waltzed in. He was holding a rolled up piece of paper._

 _"Kairi, Sora," he said to get their attention._

 _"Hey, Riku," said Sora. He noticed his friend's unusual behavior. The way he was standing, the way his hands were moving. There were rarely ever a time when Riku was worried about something. When there was, it usually meant something bad would happen. "What's going on?"_

 _"It's a message from Prince Thomas." Riku held up the paper before handing it to Sora. Sora unrolled it, smoothing it out on the table. His eyes moved from side to side as he read it over._

 _"Ella's husband?" Kairi questioned._

 _"Yes. Kairi, you were right to be suspicious."_

 _"What happened?"_

 _"Ella, the night she met Thomas, made a deal with the Dark One. In exchange for that one night, Ella had to give up something. He didn't tell her until now." Sora finished reading the letter. He left it on the table, turning his back to it. He ran his hands through his hair and down his face. This was bad._

 _"What was it?" Kairi asked. Sora looked over at her and Riku. He didn't realize what he was doing was noticeable._

 _"Ella's pregnant," Sora said with a sigh. Kairi's face lit up._

 _"That's wonderful, but what does that have to do with—"_

 _"He wants her child." Sora's words made Kairi's expression dim. Riku nodded._

 _"Exactly," he said, "Thomas asked us, as well as Charming, to help." Kairi looked back at Riku. Unlike the two boys, she was confused. The letter was still unread by her eyes._

 _"Help with what exactly?" she asked._

 _"With what else?" Riku said with nothing but a small shrug, "We're going to capture Rumpelstiltskin."_

* * *

After school, Mamoru bolted. He didn't have to work today. He only stopped at the apartment for a second to switch out his belongings before leaving again. The town was his for the afternoon. His afternoons off from work were the only times when Mamoru had a moment of freedom. He was free of all responsibility on his shoulders.

Mamoru wandered around the town. The sun was hitting his face and it felt good. A familiar sensation that he craved for. His mind filled with visions of a place where he could escape all of his duties and everything that was expected of him.

Mamoru was pulled out of his thoughts when someone knocked into his shoulder. It was harmless, but caused Mamoru to look back.

"Emma?" Mamoru asked, getting sight of the blonde woman. She had knocked into him without a word said. Emma didn't reply. Mamoru picked up his pace as he went towards her. "Wait, Emma. What's the rush?"

"That's a secret," replied Emma. Mamoru looked towards the boy with her.

"Henry?"

"We're helping to find Ashley," Henry said, answering Mamoru's question.

"Henry," Emma said to him. That's what she was hiding. However, this only confused Mamoru.

"Ashley Boyd?" said Mamoru. The image of a blonde, pregnant maid came to his mind. He had seen her once or twice in passing. "The maid?"

"Yeah," Henry said with a slight nod. "Can you help?"

"Uh… you might want to check Granny's. It's public knowledge that Ashley's close with Ruby." Emma finally gave the teen her acknowledgement.

"Come on," said Emma. Mamoru stared at her.

"Wait. What?"

"You know this town better than I do. This will go a whole lot easier if you give me a hand." There went Mamoru's day off. He followed after Emma and Henry to Granny's diner.

It didn't take long for Emma to track down Ruby. The brunette, scantily clad waitress was outside her grandmother's diner. Her car was being dropped off by a tow truck. Emma started to interrogate her. Mamoru was surprised when the first question Emma chose was about Ashley's last relationship.

"So, this boyfriend of hers," said Emma, "You don't think he was involved in her disappearance?"

"Uh, that would mean he was involved with her at all, which he isn't," said Ruby. "He left her in the lurch, right after they found out they were expecting. Hasn't spoken to her since. Like I said—" There was a loud crash as Ruby's car was dropped abruptly by the tow truck. Ruby scurried down to the end of the walkway that lead up to the diner. "Hey! Hey! Hey! Billy, be careful! You almost shattered my wolf thing, Billy." She leaned up against the sign out front as she chastised the man lowering her car. "It's good luck."

"I'm sorry, Ruby," said Billy. "But look – it's fine."

"Um, Ruby," said Emma, getting Ruby's attention back. The three met her at the end of the path. "What about her family?"

"Oh, um," Ruby took a second to find her answer, "she's got a stepmom and two stepsisters that she doesn't talk to," Ruby told her.

"Wait," said Henry. "Stepmom, stepsisters, and she's a maid?" Mamoru felt like he knew what Henry was talking about.

"Henry," said Mamoru in a hushed tone. "Not now."

"Look. I don't know what you've heard, but it's wrong," Ruby told Emma. She was acting as if the two boys weren't even there. "Everyone thinks she's not ready to have this kid, but she's trying. Taking night classes, trying to better herself… Trying to get her life together. Can you understand that?"

"I think so," said Emma.

"Then maybe you should just stay out of it. She's been through enough already."

"I've been through it too, Ruby, and I can help her." Ruby hesitated. It was like she didn't trust Emma. At this point, who would? Emma was nearly a stranger at this point to most of the town.

"Then, try her ex," Ruby said.

"Where can I find him?"

"He lives with his dad."

* * *

 _The two Keyblade knights prepared to set out on their journey the next morning. A small trip to the kitchens, the armory and the stables was enough to make sure they were ready._

 _Riku pulled down the supply bag he had hooked up to the horse Sora had with him. He double checked everything over again before giving a nod to Sora._

 _"I think we're good to go," he said._

 _"Alright," said Sora. "Let's—"_

 _"Wait!" The boys turned. Rushing towards them was Kairi. She had discarded her gown for something more suitable for travelling and something that made it easier for her to move._

 _"Kairi?" asked a confused Sora. "What are you doing here?" She seemed proud of herself when she met the boys._

 _"I'm coming with you," said Kairi. Her answer made it seem as if the fact were obvious. Riku and Sora exchanged a glance before looking back at Kairi._

 _"No, you're not," said Riku._

 _"What? But Ella's my friend. I want to be there to help her."_

 _"You need to stay here, in Lucidus, and run to kingdom," Sora told her. He wrapped his hands around her arms. "You're it's princess. If the Dark One overpowers all of us—"_

 _"Then I believe it's best that I go with you. May I remind you of the magic Ella and I possess?"_

 _Both Kairi, Ella and five other women of the realms possessed a power like no other. A heart made of pure light. Together, they were called the Princesses of Heart. However, unlike her others, Kairi had been training for the past year to strengthen her heart. She was able to hone the light, making it hers to command. She could control it and use it to her advantage in offense or even defense._

 _"Ella's heart will be enough to protect her," said Riku._

 _"It won't. It didn't stop the Dark One from making a deal with her. Unlike me, Ella hasn't trained for this. She can't use her magic like I can. Please. Ella's my friend. I want to be there for her."_

 _"Please, Kairi. Just—"_

 _"Alright," said Sora, cutting off Riku. He dropped his hold on Kairi._

 _"What?"_

 _"Thank you, Sora!" said Kairi. Riku remained silent. Sora watched Kairi head off towards the stables. There was a quiet pause. Sora could feel Riku's gaze pierce the back of his skull._

 _"You are so weak," he said. Riku lead the two horses from the stables away as he followed after Kairi. Sora went to catch up with him._

 _"Hey, it's a smart idea," Sora said. "Kairi's heart is strong. She can—and will—be able to protect Ella until we get there."_

 _"And what if she can't?" Sora didn't want to think about it. He had almost lost Kairi to the darkness once. He refused to let it happen again. Sora shook the thought out of his head._

 _"Then that will be on me," he told Riku. "As Keyblade Wielders, it's our job to protect the Light. That includes Ella and Kairi."_

 _"I know."_

 _"Then come on." Sora nudged Riku with his elbow. "This is a good idea." Riku shook his head._

 _"Kairi may have had training, but she hasn't had our training. So, if this fails and she gets hurt, I'm blaming you."_

 _"Blame me all you want, but this will work. Relax and stop stressing out. You're seventeen and already your hair is turned silver." Riku looked over at Sora with a quizzical look._

 _"Sora, this is my natural hair color." Sora put his hands behind his head. He walked forward in front of Riku._

 _"No matter how many times you say it, I won't believe it."_

* * *

Miyu was running. He was in deep trouble. He had received a detention that he couldn't get out of. Now he was late for his shift.

Miyu skidded around the corner. The diner was in his sight. He sped up. He didn't stop until he got to the door and swung it open. The first person he saw was his co-worker. Ruby.

"Hey Ruby," he said. Ruby looked up at him from what she had been doing. "Sorry I'm late, I—" Miyu was cut off when Ruby took him by the arm. Without a word, she pulled him into the back room of the diner. She shut the door behind them. Miyu was dazed and confused by what just happened. "What the heck? What's going on?" Ruby turned to face him.

"I need you to do me a favor," she said. "Do you know Ashley?" Miyu stared at her.

"Ashley Boyd?" Ruby nodded. Miyu knew her. He had talked to her once or twice during his shifts since he began working at the diner. "Yeah. Why? Is she okay?"

"She needs help. Listen, Emma Swan just left. She's looking for Ashley. She did something, and I need your help." Miyu hesitated for a moment.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Take my car. Help her get to Boston." Ruby put a pair of car keys on Miyu's hand. Miyu glanced down at them. His head was spinning.

"Ruby, are you sure about this?" he asked, looking up at his coworker.

"She just wants a fresh start with her baby," said Ruby. "I sent Emma to her ex's. She won't be gone long. Just take a bus back. I can't leave or else someone's going to figure it out. Go." Miyu looked down at the keys again. He made up his mind. He clenched a fist around them.

"Fine. But if my mom comes around asking for me, you're explaining to her what happened." Ruby nodded.

"Deal."

* * *

Mamoru watched as Emma knocked on the door. She had driven him and Henry here using the directions Ruby had given then. Mamoru sighed. Something was bothering him. He turned around in his seat to face Henry.

"So, who's Ashley?" he asked.

"She's the maid Emma's—" Henry said. Mamoru cut him off with a raise of his hand.

"You know what I mean, Henry. What you were saying back at the diner. Who is she in your book?" Henry seemed taken by surprise. Mamoru had never shown this particular interests in the curse before.

"Cinderella." Mamoru raised an eyebrow.

"Like, mice and fairy godmother and glass shoes?"

"Yeah," said Henry with a nod. "She has a stepmom, stepsisters and like Cinderella, she's a maid." Mamoru ran a hand through his hair and down his face. Henry seemed positive about Ashley being Cinderella.

"You actually think everyone in town's a fairy tale character, don't you?" he groaned.

"Almost." This caught Mamoru's attention.

"Almost?" he repeated.

"You saw my book. There are people from it missing," said Henry. "You and Miyu are two of them. You're in it, but your names are never mentioned."

"So… who do you think we are? Sleeping Beauty and Snow White?" The question was meant to be a joke, a rhetorical question. Henry took it seriously.

"Best friends." Mamoru stared at Henry.

"Best friends?" The words were buzzing on his tongue. It felt oddly natural. "What made you come up with that?" Henry leaned forward.

"The curse took away everyone's happiness by taking away their memories. Every happy moment you two had is gone. You can't remember it, but it's still there. Like with Mary Margaret and David. The curse was keeping them apart with the coma. The curse is keeping you two from remembering and getting along." Mamoru shook his head. He turned back around, leaning into the passenger seat of Emma's car.

"I doubt it." He looked out the window. Emma was walking back towards them.

"What did he say?" Mamoru asked as soon as Emma got in the car. She looked shocked.

"Ashley sold the baby," Emma said in a surprisingly calm tone. Mamoru could sense her panic underneath it. His eyes widened. Emma started the car and began driving back the way they came.

"She did what?"

"To Gold." Mamoru realized what Emma was doing. The entire time, she was looking for Ashley for one specific reason.

"You're going to turn her in," he said. Emma shook her head.

"Like hell I'm not. I'm going to help her break her deal with Gold."

"You can't make her double cross Gold," said Henry. "No one's ever broken a deal with him."

"I'm happy to be the first," said Emma. "If Ashley wants to have this baby, she should have it. Anyone who wants to be a mother, should damn well be allowed to be one."

* * *

Mamoru didn't speak a word until he, Emma and Henry arrived at the diner. When they entered, Emma immediately found and cornered Ruby.

"Why didn't you tell me she sold the baby?" was the first thing out of Emma's mouth.

"Because I didn't think it was important," answered Ruby.

"Really? Considering that's why she's running away."

"Look, Ashley's my friend. I don't like the idea of people judging her." Mamoru looked over to the nearby countertop. Something familiar noticed Ruby's wolf charm on the counter. He glanced out the window. Ruby's car was gone.

"Ruby, where's your car?" he asked. Emma looked out the window.

"You didn't send me to Sean to find her," Emma said. She, and the other two with her, finally realized what Ruby had "You sent me there to give her a head start."

"Look, I'm only trying to help her," said Ruby.

"Yes, so am I. Ashley's in more trouble than you know, Ruby. Where is she? Don't make her deal with Gold without me." Ruby looked over to Mamoru and Henry.

"I can't talk in front of them. He's the Mayor's kid, and he's the Sheriff's pet."

"Hey," said Mamoru in a bitter defense.

"Hey!" exclaimed Henry. "I'm on your side."

"Henry, I need to find this woman. And in order to do that, I need you to go home, okay?" Emma said to him. "So please listen to me. Seriously. She's not going to tell me anything if you're around."

"Okay."

"Thank you." Henry left the diner.

"Do you honestly think I'm going to tell Graham anything?" Mamoru said, trying to make a plausible defense for himself, "Everyone has their secrets, including me. You wouldn't believe the amount of things I haven't told anybody." Ruby rolled her eyes. She remained silent. Mamoru gave a silent sigh. He followed Henry's path. He got into Emma's car and waited for her to come back out again.

"What did she say?" he asked Emma when she took over the wheel again.

"Ruby sent that kid, Miyu, with Ashley," Emma explained. "They're heading to Boston."

"And that's where we're headed."

"I'm headed. You're staying here." Mamoru looked over to Emma.

"Please." The word was said with an obvious snide manner. If Mamoru even ever left town, who would miss him?

* * *

Mamoru won their argument. The drive was spent in silence. Or it would have been if it weren't for one little factor.

"What'd she tell you?" The voice made Mamoru jump. Looking into the rearview mirror, he caught sight of Henry in the backseat. Emma was as surprised as he was.

"Henry! What the hell?" Emma exclaimed out of shock. "We're going to Boston. You can't come."

"You can't go to Boston!" Henry said. "They can't leave. Bad things happen to anyone who does." They. The word made Mamoru feel like an alien.

"I don't have time to argue with you over the curse," said Emma. "I've got to get you home."

"We have to stop them before they get hurt! We're wasting time! If you drop me off, we'll never catch up."

"Henry," said Mamoru sternly. This was over the line.

"And then Mr. Gold will call the police, and he'll have her sent to jail." Mamoru looked over at Emma. The woman took a brief moment. Based on her earlier behavior, Emma's choice was clear.

"…Buckle up," said Emma before muttering under her breath. "Ashley, what did you get yourself into?"

* * *

 _From the moment they arrived, Charming and Thomas had met the trio of Sora, Riku and Kairi. They quickly explained to them the plan they had come up with. With Kairi's presence, it was tweaked by the slightest bit. It would be put into action that evening._

 _The five took Ella down into an old mineshaft. It had been reworked in the following week._

 _"Why are we down here?" asked Ella._

 _"We need a place to keep him," said Thomas._

 _"Rumpelstiltskin is the most dangerous man in all the realms," Charming explained. "He needs his own special prison. So, we converted the mines to hold him."_

 _"But how will we get him here?" Ella asked. "He's eluded all forever."_

 _"His strength is also his weakness. His deals – he can't resist making them and we already know who he wants to deal with next," said Sora. "You."_

 _"We sent word with one of Snow's bluebirds," Charming said, continuing explaining the plan to Ella. "He's accepted a meeting with you. You're going to tell him that Doc heard something with his stethoscope – two heart beats."_

 _"You're going to tell him it's twins," Thomas added._

 _"And if he wants both, which he will, you propose a new deal." Sora took out a box and opened it. Inside was a red quill._

 _"We'll get him with this," he said._

 _"A quill?" Ella said, confused. "I-I don't understand."_

 _"The Blue Fairy cast a spell on it," explained Kairi. "Whoever signs with this will be frozen – their magic will be useless."_

 _"All you must do is get him to sign the contract," said Charming. "Ella, this man is a scourge. You'll be doing the entire land a service."_

 _"Should we even use magic?" said Ella. "Isn't that what's causing these problems to begin with? What if this magic also has a price?"_

 _"Then, I will pay it," said Thomas. "I will do whatever is needed to save you and our child."_

 _"Let's go," said Charming. They went farther into the dungeon until they come to a cell._

 _"Hope you like it," said Riku. "A lot of blood went into making it."_

 _"You sure this will work?" Ella said._

 _"Once he's in there, he'll never get out," said Charming. "You'll be safe."_

 _"I can do this, Ella," said Thomas._

 _"If all else fails, I'll be right beside you," Kairi added. "Sora and Riku will be with Charming and Thomas as well. Everything will be okay."_

 _"Okay," said Ella. "Let's get him."_

* * *

Emma, Mamoru and Henry were driving along the road. Mamoru had his eyes kept on the outside scenery. He was pushed back by Henry's arm. The boy had caught sight of something ahead of him. He pointed to it. A bright red car had been driven into a ditch. It was Ruby's.

"I told you!" he said. It's her car." Emma pulled over. They got out and rushed to Ruby's car. The passenger side door was wide open.

"Ashley!" Emma called out. They stared inside the car. There was no one in there. The only thing that calmed Mamoru in this situation was that there was no blood in sight.

A pained cry crossed their ears. Emma and Mamoru exchanged a look with each other. They followed the sound. Not too far away from the wreck was a clear patch of wild grass. Sitting in the grass was Ashley. Miyu was crouched down beside her. Ashley's blonde hair was a mess and stuck to her forehead. They looked up when they heard help finally arriving.

"My baby!" said Ashley. "It's coming!"

* * *

 _Cinderella and Kairi were waiting outside for Rumpelstiltskin. It was a dark, starless night. This was not soothing to Kairi at all. She kept her hands concealed in the folds of her cloak. She was nervous. However, Kairi refused to show a single hint of it. All of her uneasiness was welling up inside her chest. It didn't calm down when he stepped out of the shadows. Rumpelstiltskin strode over to the two._

 _"Well, well, well! You're starting to show," said Rumpelstiltskin. "A little bird told me you wanted to speak?"_

 _"Yes," said Ella. She was just as nervous as Kairi was. Kairi looked towards the ground. She could feel Rumpelstiltskin's gaze pierce her._

 _"What's the Princess of Kingdom of Light doing here? And all alone, I wonder."_

 _"I came to protect Ella if things don't go as planned," said Kairi. Her grip grew tighter. Her words had come tumbling out before she could even stop them._

 _"If what doesn't go as planned?"_

 _"I'd like to alter the bargain," said Ella. Kairi relaxed when the Dark One turned to Ella._

 _"That's not what I do," Rumpelstiltskin told her._

 _"I think you'll want to." Ella gazed down at her slightly protruding stomach. "I'm having twins."_

 _"Is that so? Ooo! Let's have a look." Rumpelstiltskin got closer. His fingers barely grazed Ella's stomach. "And you would, what? Give up both?" Ella nodded. Rumpelstiltskin retracted to his earlier stance. "Why is that, I wonder?"_

 _"My husband, he's… He's having a hard time. Our kingdom is poor, we're losing money, our crops are dying. We can't support ourselves or our people."_

 _"And you would trade your other child for comfort?"_

 _"I can always have more children, but I can't make crops grow where the soil is dead. In exchange for our other child, you will see to it that our land is once again fertile. I think it's more than fair."_

 _"Yes! Yes, yes. It is. If what you're saying is true." Kairi couldn't believe it. The plan was actually working._

 _"It is. And all you have to do, is sign on the dotted line." Ella held out a scroll and the red quill to Rumpelstiltskin. This was it._

 _"What a lovely quill! Wherever did you get it?"_

 _"It's from our castle."_

 _"You know, the only way to stop me, is through magic."_

 _"We're not trying to stop you," said Kairi. She wanted this plan to work. It was one of the only ways that the darkness could be stopped. One of the only ways to protect her people, and those she cared about._

 _"Of course you're not. Because, as we all know, all magic comes with a price. And if you were to use it to, say, imprison me, then Cinderella's debt to me would only grow. And we wouldn't want that, now, would we?" Rumpelstiltskin bore holes into Kairi with even just a small glance. He made her feel sick. Even the mention of his name would do the trick._

 _"Just sign the contract, please," Ella said. She was forcing out her words._

 _"Are you sure you're happy with this new arrangement?" Ella held up the contract. Rumpelstiltskin took it from her and went to sign it. "Then so it shall be." He signed it. Kairi's hands came out of her cloak. The moment the quill left the contract, Rumpelstiltskin was instantly frozen._

 _"Thomas!"_

 _"No one breaks deals with me, dearie. No one. No matter where you are, no matter what land you find yourself in, I assure you – I will have your baby."_

* * *

Mamoru and Miyu had been left behind. There wasn't enough room in Emma' car. It was more important that Ashley make it to the hospital than all of them fit inside. So, the boys were stuck waiting for a to truck to come tow Ruby's car out of the ditch. The boys were leaning up against the wreckage. The sun was still blazing in the sky.

Mamoru glanced over at Miyu. He was flexing out his hand, pulling his fingers into a ball before releasing them again.

"I think Ashley broke my hand…" he said, thinking out loud. Mamoru rolled his eyes.

"Grow up," he said to him. Miyu glanced over at Mamoru.

"You try having that death grip on you." He took his off Mamoru to look at his hand again. "I'm just getting the feeling back in my hand." Miyu stared off down the long, barren stretch of road. "How long until the truck gets here?" Mamoru shrugged.

"Who knows?" he said, sounding disinterested. "I'm guessing a couple of minutes. Maybe an hour." There was silence once again. Miyu looked over at Mamoru.

"Do you think Ashley's going to be okay?" Miyu said to break the quiet. Mamoru released a sigh of pent-up frustration. He stood up straight.

"You barely know her." That's when it clicked. Mamoru looked over at Miyu, meeting his eyes with a confused look. "Wait a minute, why are you even here?"

"Ruby asked me to make sure Ashley got to Boston alright." Mamoru sighed. Why had he even asked that question in the first place?

"And you couldn't say no." Miyu gave a small nod. He didn't meet Mamoru's eyes.

"Yeah." There was another pause. Miyu didn't want to stop the conversation flow. The silence was just too awkward. "They were right, you know." Mamoru glanced over at him.

"Right about what?"

"We could work well together." Mamoru groaned, looking off down the road.

"Not this again." He didn't want to hear about this, about any of it. Miyu straightened up. He stared at the back of Mamoru's head.

"Hey, I'm being serious. We saved a life."

"Mary Margaret did. We just found him."

"We didn't do anything. Every time we speak to each other, it turns into an argument." Mamoru looked back at Miyu. A second later, he hid a sly snicker behind his hand. He looked amused. "What's with that look?"

"We're not fighting now," Mamoru said. The realization hit Miyu like the car accident he had just been involved in.

"I guess so." Miyu leaned back against the car. Mamoru soon followed with the same action.

"Do you even remember why we hate each other?" Miyu leaned back a bit further, staring up at the sky and the clouds rolling by.

"Come to think of it…" Miyu shrugged, "No. I don't."

"Henry thinks we're supposed to be best friends."

"What?" Miyu snapped away from the clouds. It took him a whle to understand what Mamoru was talking about. "Oh, you're talking about his whole 'the town's cursed and we're all fairy tale characters' theory." Mamoru nodded.

"I am." Miyu put his hands behind his head.

"If it is true, I wonder who we really are. I wouldn't mind being a knight in shining armor," Miyu said, pretending to swing a sword in the air before looking towards Mamoru, "you know what I mean?"

"Yeah. Like when we were kids…" Miyu snapped up straight.

"What?" Mamoru gave him a puzzle look.

"When you were a kid, you didn't pretend you were someone else?" Miyu sighed, leaning back up against the car.

"I think so." Miyu sighed again. He glanced down at the watch around his wrist. Seeing the time, he struck the already dented metal with his hand rather suddenly. "Dammit."

"What's wrong?"

"I was going to meet with Jessica DeMarco after my shift. I forgot all about it." He groaned, putting his face in his hands. For the first time, Miyu heard a laugh come from Mamoru. He didn't know Mamoru was even capable of laughing in the first place.

"Trust me, she isn't your type."

"How do you my type? This is the first civil conversation we've had with each other."

"It's a fact you don't date."

"Neither do you."

"I have work. I have home. I have—"

"Stress. Your hair's grey and you're only seventeen." Mamoru pulled at one of his elongated strands of hair. He gave a sharp, offended glare to Miyu.

"Hey. It's silver and my natural hair color." Miyu laughed.

"I'll believe that when pigs fly."

* * *

 _Rumpelstiltskin was being taken to a cell on the back of a carriage._

 _"Did that really just happen?" said Kairi. She was still feeling a small amount of adrenaline rushing through her system._

 _"Yes," said Sora. He sounded relieved. "You were great." Kairi felt a small sense of pride in herself._

 _" I told you I could do it. All you had to do was believe in me."_

 _"We're lucky that it worked and he bought it," said Riku. He seemed uneasy with how the course of actions had went. Sora and Kairi's gaze fell on him._

 _"If it didn't work, then we would have to use my magic. Simple." At least, Kairi hoped that's what would have happened. She didn't exactly have the most stable control over her magic._

 _"No. Not simple. If it wasn't enough, he would have taken your heart." Kairi's fingers brushed over her chest. She could feel her heartbeat._

 _"Riku, calm down," Sora said. He stood in between him and Kairi. "He wouldn't have been able to do it anyway. The Dark One can't touch her heart. No matter how hard he tries. Kairi's heart is pure light. He can't touch it with his bare hands."_

 _"Exactly," Kairi said. "I would have been fine."_

 _"You never know what the darkness can do," said Riku. "He could try and get someone else to do it for him."_

 _"Not like someone already hasn't tried to take it," said Kairi. Her fingers clenched at the stitch in her chest. "And we know full well he failed."_

 _"That was over ten years ago," said Sora. "No one is going to harm you now. I promise."_

 _Heads were turned as Ella came running from the woods, a sash in her hands. Kairi couldn't read the look she had on her face. Ella went straight to the caged Rumpelstiltskin._

 _"What did you do?" she demanded._

 _"Ella, what's wrong?" asked Charming._

 _"Your Highness, what happened?" Riku added._

 _"What did you do to my Thomas?" said Ella, ignoring them both._

 _"I haven't done anything. In case you haven't noticed, I've been otherwise engaged," said Rumpelstiltskin._

 _"Something's happened to him. You know. Tell me!"_

 _"I have no idea, dearie. But I did warn you – all magic comes at a price. Looks like someone has just paid."_

 _"Don't listen to him," said Charming. "We'll find Thomas."_

 _"No, you won't. Until that debt is paid, until that baby is mine, you're never going to see him again. In this world or the next, Cinderella, I will have that baby."_

* * *

The day was almost over by the time Mamoru and Miyu made it back into Storybrooke. To Mamoru's dismay and against his protest, Miyu dragged him to the hospital. He wanted to make sure Ashley was alright. Mamoru just wanted to go home at this point. They had already stopped and found Emma to answer this question. He didn't understand why Miyu still insisted on going.

"Okay," Miyu said as the two boys wandered around an unknown ward. Mamoru wasn't even sure if this was the maternity ward or not. "Which room is Ashley's?"

"I don't get why you dragged me here," Mamoru said with a sigh.

"Oh, come on." Miyu looked back at him. "Don't you want to know what happened?"

"We already asked Emma. She said Ashley and her baby are fine." Miyu frowned before looking back on ahead of him.

"You're such a sour grape. I wanna see for myself." Mamoru groaned, muttering words under his breath.

"Do you even know where we're going?" he said after about a minute.

"I…" Miyu came to a stop, "do not." He looked around before placing his hand on a partially opened door. "Maybe in here?" He swung the door open. Everything was quiet, the subtle sound of a heart monitor being the only noise in the room. There was only one patient. A man, sound asleep. Mamoru didn't understand how he could sleep with all the equipment that was hooked up to him.

"Miyu, we're on the wrong floor." Mamoru glanced around at the equipment attached to the man's body. He understood why it was so familiar to him. It was the same type of equipment that had been set up in David's room prior to him waking up. "This is a coma patient's room."

"There's more than one?" Miyu crossed over across the room. He looked at the patient's face. It was peaceful looking, with a mess of unkempt hair fanned out around him. Miyu couldn't take his eyes off of the stranger's face. "He looks… kinda familiar." Mamoru walked over to the end of the bed. He glanced down at the chart attached to it.

"Says his name is Jesse Carter," Mamoru said, reading off the name. He looked up to Miyu. "Do you know him?"

"No. I feel like I—" Miyu made a move to move some of the man's blonde strands from his face.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Miyu and Mamoru both froze in their actions like deer caught in headlights. They were caught. The pair turned to face the direction of the voice.

A man in his twenties stood in the doorway. He was tall, with a dark tan complexion and long, spiked silver hair that could rival Mamoru's. The one thing that sent a chill up Mamoru's spine was his eyes. It may have been just a trick of the light, but he could swear that the man's eyes were gold.

"Uh… sorry," Mamoru said quickly. Miyu retracted his hand away from the comatose patient. "We got a little bit lost."

"Get out," said the man. His tone was unnecessarily harsh.

"Yes, sir," Miyu said with a quick nod. He lowered his voice, whispering to Mamoru, "Come on." He took the elder boy by the hand, practical pulling him out of the room. Mamoru could feel the man's eyes on them as they left.

"Let go of me," said Mamoru after a few seconds of being dragged. He jerked his hand out of Miyu's grip. Both of them stopped. "What was that all about?"

"I don't want to rub Jason Holland the wrong way," Miyu explained, turning back to face him.

"Who's he?"

"That guy in there." Miyu gestured to the room they just left. Mamoru looked back. The door was shut. "He's a bastard." Mamoru's head whipped back around. He would have never expected the word to come from Miyu's mouth. "That's what the staff says, anyway. He's supposedly doing a study on human emotions and all that. He hangs around that room a lot before going home."

"How do you know this?" asked Mamoru. Miyu gave a nervous laugh, running a hand through his hair.

"You hear things when the main phone lines are connected in your house." Mamoru didn't bother to contain the small smirk that formed on his face.

"You're a sneak." The two boys walked on down the hall.

Things were changing for the better. For the first time in a while, Mamoru wasn't in a bitter mood. He only hoped that it would stay for good.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **The following are Kingdom Hearts/Final Fantasy characters introduced as their Storybrooke selves in this chapter.**

 **Jessica DeMarco: Olette**

 **Jesse Carter: Ventus**

 **Jason Holland: Xehanort**


	5. That Still Small Voice

**Chapter V: That Still Small Voice**

* * *

 _Since their delegates had returned from that fateful wedding, Lucidus had been on edge. Out of all of them, the princess seemed to be the closest to falling off of said edge. No one really blamed her. The entire kingdom felt the same way._

 _Instead of attending to their job as knights, Sora and Riku were currently approaching the princess's door. Sora was carrying a basket in one hand._

 _"This is not a good idea," said Riku._

 _"It's a better idea than any," replied Sora._

 _"Yes, because you have the best ideas." His voice was dripping with sarcasm. Sora looked over at his best friend._

 _"You don't believe this will work, do you?" Riku shook his head._

 _"Not necessarily."_

 _"Trust me, ye of little faith. This will get our princess back to her normal self in no time." Sora lifted up the basket to Riku's eye level, waving it a little. "And this i how we're going to do it." Riku placed his hand on top of Sora's, lowering it and pushing it away from his face._

 _"Still don't understand how a bunch of sweets can do that." Sora's response was only a simple shrug._

 _"It usually works." The two came to a stop. A simple roll of the eyes was all Sora got from Riku as he knocked on the door. Sora had faith that his plan would at least guarantee a smile out of Kairi. "Kairi? You okay in—" Sora was cut off by the click of a lock, "there." Kairi opened the door. Unlike normal, there were dark bags under her eyes. Sora kept his eyes locked with hers._

 _"What are you doing here?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "You two are supposed to be on patrol in town."_

 _"I told you this was a bad idea," Riku whispered to Sora. Sora just waved him off. At least the majority of the time, a small surprise like this usually cheered up Kairi in any situation. Why would now be any different?_

 _"I know we're supposed to be, and we will," said Sora. "We just wanted to bring you this." He handed her the basket. Kairi pulled back the cloth that was covering the basket's contents. She sighed. There was a faint smile on her face. Sora was right. His idea did work, at least a little bit._

 _"I appreciate it, but both you and I have important things to do." Kairi did not return the basket. "I have a kingdom to run and you two have… knight duties."_

 _"Knight duties?" repeated Riku._

 _"Yes." Kairi leaned up against the doorway. Her stance was heavy, as if she was forcing all of her weight up against the wood._

 _"You don't look too good," Sora said. Kairi shook her head, holding one hand against it._

 _"Don't worry about me. I'm perfectly fine." She pushed herself off of the door frame and grabbed the doorknob. "Now, if you both will excuse me." Kairi shut the door. There was a click as the door was once again locked._

 _"She's lying," said Sora after a long pause. It was hard for him to even say that. It was like there was something trying to constrict his throat._

 _"Of course she's lying," said Riku. "She hasn't even been acting ruler for a complete year and someone comes and threatens the safety of not only herself, but her entire kingdom and everyone she cares about? I would lie, too." Riku did have a point. Sora glanced over at him._

 _"You never lie to me when you're in your right state of mind." Riku took longer to answer than he should have._

 _"You know what I mean." Sora released a heavy sigh._

 _"She has us. I don't see why she has to lie. She can trust us." His tone carried a deep sense of worry._

 _"I don't think trust has anything to do with it." Riku slung an arm over Sora's shoulder. He began to lead him away from Kairi's room. "Come on. You heard her. We have 'knight duties' to attend to." Riku's words did not calm the worry growing in the pit of Sora's stomach._

* * *

Mamoru, for once, was sound asleep. It had been a very long time since he actually had gotten a sleep where he wasn't tossing and turning. Storybrooke was quiet and peaceful. There was nothing to worry about. Everything was still.

That was until the earthquake struck.

The violent tremor shook the building the Miyanos called home. The sounds of the aftermath woke nearly everyone, Mamoru included. Dogs barking, cars going off and things crashing could be heard for miles. Mamoru groaned as he was rudely awakened from his slumber. There was thud from outside of his door. Several curses flooded his mind almost instantly. The tremor had woken his dad up. Mamoru pushed open the door. His father had the undeniable look of anger etched on his face. Mamoru stayed back away from him.

"What the hell?" Mamoru's father grumbled. Mamoru slowly came out out his place in the hallway. He kept to the side, away from his father. He seemed angry. And Mamoru didn't want to be in his way when he was angry. He watched as his father went to the window, shutting off the car alarm from down below.

The piercing noise of a phone ringing woke Mamoru up completely.

"Who calls this late?" said Mamoru's father. Mamoru spent no time in making his way across the room to the phone.

"I got it," said Mamoru. He seized the phone before his father could even process what he had just said.

"What is it?" he said into the phone's receiver. He recognized the voice straightaway.

"We're coming to get you," said Graham on the other side of the line. In the background, he could hear the familiar noise of several phones going off. "I need every hand I have on duty. Part time or not."

"What about Emma? You did hire her, right?"

"She's already here. She's coming with me." Mamoru felt his arm tense up. The tension spread out to the entirety of his body.

"Give me a minute. I'll meet you both there. You're paying me overtime." Graham let out a breathy laugh. Mamoru glanced back behind him. His father had already gone into his bedroom. He sighed, and whispered into the phone, "Thank you Graham." He hung up the phone and went for his room. He snatched up a pair of jeans from off the floor.

"Dad!" said Mamoru, scrambling to get dressed, "Graham wants me at the station."

"Can't that wait until morning?" Of course that would be the answer.  
"Not really. He and the new deputy are coming to pick me up. You can go back to sleep." There was a grumble. Mamoru sighed. At least his father was too tired and possibly still too drunk to argue. He seized his shoes and jacket off the floor. He rushed towards the front door. All tension left his body as the door shut and locked behind him.

* * *

It seemed like the whole town knew where the source of the tremor was. As the police cruiser rolled up to what Mamoru thought looked like a construction site, he saw there were countless civilians who should not have even been there in the first place.

Mayor Regina Mills seemed to have the same idea as the sheriff's department. She had already pulled up and was stepping out of the car just as Mamoru, Emma and Graham arrived.

"Everyone!" shouted Regina, "Step back, please!" She was not doing well with the crowd control on her own. The moment the car came to a stop, all three members of the sheriff's department stepped out. The source of the quake seemed to come from what looked like an entrance to an old tunnel. As he followed Emma and Graham, Mamoru could hear the townspeople speak.

"Is that a crater?"

"No, there were tunnels – old mines. Something collapsed." The three were making their way towards Regina. The moment she spotted them, she looked somewhat relieved.

"Sheriff, set up a police perimeter," said Regina to Graham before turning to a man nearby. "Marco, why don't you help with the fire department?" Her cold gaze focused on Emma. "Miss Swan, this is now official town business. You're free to go."

"Well, actually, I work for the town now," said Emma.

"She's my new deputy," said Graham. Regina's mouth pressed into a firm line. Mamoru felt like he was pissing off the mayor more times in the last few weeks then he had in his entire life.

"They say the Mayor's always last to know," said Regina. She did not sound pleased.

"It's in the budget," said Mamoru. "I did the math myself." Her eyes focused on him.

"Indeed." Regina turned on Emma. "Deputy, why don't you make yourself useful and help with crowd control?" Regina stepped away and stood in front of the crowd of people. Mamoru listened to her as he began to help out. "People of Storybrooke, don't be alarmed. We've always known this area was honeycombed with old mining tunnels. But fear not. I'm going to undertake a project to make this area safe – to rehabilitate it into city use. We will bulldoze it, collapse it, pave it." Out of the corner of his eye, Mamoru saw Henry emerge from the crowd.

"Pave it?" he said, eyes wide. "What if there's something down there?"

"Henry. What are you doing here?"

"What's down there?"

"Nothing. Now step back. In fact, everyone! Please, please step back. Thank you." Mamoru looked over at the scene between the mayor and her son. He only caught sight of Regina sliding something into her pocket. He wasn't the only one who caught this.

"What was that?" Henry asked his mother.

"Henry, enough. Listen. This is a safety issue. Wait in the car." Henry stared at his mother for a moment before turning away and leaving. Regina turned on the three members of Storybrooke's sheriff's department. "You three – cord off the area." Mamoru gave her a simple nod. They went to the cruiser. Each were given a bright yellow roll of tape. In thick black letters, the word "CAUTION" was written repeatedly all over the tape.

Mamoru strung the tape over the entrance to the mine that had opened up. He was halfway through when his eyes narrowed at the sight of something. Mamoru had caught Emma walking away from the scene. She was walking over to Henry, who was crouching down behind Regina's car. Besides them was Archie Hopper, the town psychiatrist. As soon as Mamoru looked over, Henry locked eyes with him. He motioned him to come over to the group. Mamoru finished his task, tying off the tape at the other end of the mine entrance. He walked over to the group.

"This requires all of Operation Cobra," said Henry. "The three of you included." Mamoru blinked at the kid.

"Operation what?" he said. He didn't know what was going on.

"It's how we're going to bring back everyone's memories," explained Henry. Right. Mamoru had almost forgotten about Henry's fairy tale character theory.

"I didn't realize I was in Operation Cobra," said Archie.

"Of course you are. You know everything."

"Then why am I here?" Mamoru asked, raising a hand.

"Because I trust you and you've done a lot to help so far," said Henry. Mamoru didn't believe the statement. There was only one other person in town who viewed him as trustworthy. "We can't let her do this. What if there's something down there?

"They're just some old tunnels," said Emma.

"That just happen to collapse right after you get here? You're changing things." Archie and Emma exchanged a concerned glance with each other. "You're weakening the curse."

"That's not what's happening."

"Yes, it is!" Henry sighed. Emma was still a strong disbeliever of the Curse. Mamoru didn't blame her. It was an insane theory. "Did you do anything different today? 'Cause something made this happen." Mamoru caught sight of Emma's fingers brushing over the deputy's badge clipped on her waist.

"Henry, I told you to wait in the car." The words made Mamoru jump. He had not noticed Regina sneaking up behind them. Regina turned on the deputy and her subordinate. "Will you both do your job?" Henry didn't make any objections. He left, going in the opposite direction. With a simple hand signal, Mamoru went off with Emma to finish his job and hopefully get back to sleep.

* * *

 _Sora was walking around castle with Kairi. They were alone. Only their voices and footsteps echoed off of the walls. Even if he was just escorting her to a meeting she had, Sora thought it was an fruitful moment. It had been awhile since they had been alone together._

 _"I was thinking that we could try and rebuild the barrier," said Sora, "I mean, it's about time we fix it." The two had struck up a conversation about Lucidus' defenses. As Sora recalled, Lucidus' famous barrier had kept out all dark magic. It even prevented it from being used within the kingdom's borders. Of course, that defense was gone. It had been broken over a decade ago. Even over a year later, Sora still had no idea why it was broken or even how._

 _"Right," said Kairi with a small nod._

 _"I just wish we knew what or who cast it in the first place. Maybe we could find a way to recast it."_

 _"Of course." Kairi nodded once again._

 _"Then, the threat of dark magic will be solved. We don't have to worry as much any more." Kairi nodded slightly. "Kairi?" Kairi's head snapped up. She looked over to Sora._

 _"Yes?"_

 _"I'm not boring you, am I?" Kairi shook her head. She pressed her hand to the side of her face._

 _"No. Sorry, I guess my head's just not in the right place. Now, what were you talking about?"_

 _"About the imminent threat to the kingdom." Kairi nodded again. Sora was sure that it wasn't a regular nod. It seemed like she was falling asleep while walking. "Are you sure that you're—"_

 _"Yes." The pair came to a stop. "Please, stop asking. I'm fine." Kairi continued forward. She didn't make it a good distance when she stumbled. She was leaning far too forward. Sora caught her before she could hit the ground._

 _"I don't believe that." Kairi stood up straight. She jerked herself out of Sora's grasp. Sora took a small step back._

 _"I just tripped. Look at me. If I say I'm fine, I mean it. Don't worry about me." She went off on her own. Something was wrong._

 _Sora looked down at his hand. A faint smear of blood stained it._

* * *

It was was only a few days after the mine collapse that Mamoru found himself caught up in something crazy. Miyu had approached him after school. Mamoru was presented with the stupidest idea ever told. He still had no idea how he lost that argument. In the end, Miyu dragged Mamoru down to the mineshaft.

"This is the stupidest thing you could ever do," said Mamoru. He watched as Miyu climbed up a small mound of dirt.

"Ease up, will ya?" said Miyu, "Give me a hand." Mamoru didn't. As soon as Miyu reached the top of the hill, the dirt underneath him gave away. He fell flat on the other side. Mamoru walked around it. He stared down at Miyu.

"You shouldn't even be here." Miyu stood up.

"Neither should you." Mamoru went to speak, only to shut his mouth almost immediately. Miyu was right. He wasn't on duty, and he doubted that Graham would even want him down here. The entire place was off-limits. Mamoru heaved a sigh.

"Why did you drag me here? This place is condemned for a reason." Miyu gave him a short shrug.

"Curiosity." Mamoru stared at him, pressing his mouth together in a firm line.

"Curiosity? You brought me to a place where we could be killed because of curiosity?" Miyu nodded. Mamoru could feel his blood starting to boil. This was ridiculous.

"More or less." Miyu lowered his gaze, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't know. There's something about this place." His eyes wandered over to the mine's entrance. Mamoru followed his gaze.

"Oh great. We're going to get ourselves killed because you had a hunch." Mamoru ran his hand through his hair. If it wasn't already naturally silver, he could have sworn that all this stress would make his hair turn gray. "That doesn't answer my question."

"You're here because you can get me out of trouble if I get caught."

"Caught?" Okay now that was it. "I could lose my job if we got—" Mamoru cut himself off. Without warning, he pulled Miyu down close to the ground with him. They ducked behind the hill Miyu tripped over.

"Whoa, hey!" said Miyu, raising his tone of voice, "What's the big idea?" Mamoru silenced him, pressing his hand to Miyu's mouth.

"I thought I saw someone," he whispered, lowering his hand. Miyu had calmed down.

"Who besides us is crazy enough to be out here?" Mamoru shrugged. The boys peeked around the mound. Miyu's question was answered instantly.

Henry Mills was at the entrance to the mine. He had a flashlight in his hand and a backpack on. Henry turned on the flashlight and entered the tunnel.

"Shit," Mamoru said under his breath. He got up and made his way towards the mines' entrance.

"Whoa, whoa hey." Miyu stood up. He grabbed Mamoru's arm. Mamoru looked back at him. "Where are you going?

"On duty or not, I'm still doing my job." He shook his arm out of Miyu's grasp. "And I'm not about to let that kid get killed."

"Then let me come with you." Mamoru shook his head.

"No. If something happens, I want you to get help. Call Emma or Graham. Run back into town if you have to."

"But—" He sighed. The stern look in Mamoru's eyes was something he could not fight. "Fine." Miyu watched as Mamoru followed Henry down into the mines.

* * *

 _The feeling that something was wrong with Kairi had followed Sora around almost the rest of the day. It was pitch black by the time he finally gave into the feeling. He stole away from his room. Sora made his way through the halls, keeping out of sight of the members of the guard. He didn't want to be caught. If he was, Sora wasn't exactly sure how he would explain what he was doing without it sounding strange._

 _He wasn't that far from his destination. Sora was just about to turn the corner. That's when he heard it. There was the unforgettable sound of a heavy lock coming undone. Out of panic, Sora ducked behind the corner. The sound of the door opening and closing gave Sora small signal to peer around at who had opened the door in the first place._

 _Standing in the hallways was Kairi. She was fastening a cloak over her shoulders with one hand. In her other hand was a small lantern. It was already lit. She looked around at both ends of the hall. She didn't see Sora. Instead, she pulled up the hood of her cloak and made her way down the opposite end of the corridor._

 _Sora's face screwed up in confusion. One thought coursed through his mind. What was going on?_

 _Whether Sora's next idea was a good idea or not, it was very unclear. Determined to find out what the princess was doing, Sora followed after Kairi._

 _Kairi lead Sora to the outer gardens. He watched as she put down her lantern. He stepped behind the wall as he watched her with a curious look._

 _"What is she doing?" Sora muttered to himself. Kairi looked around. She had to be looking for anyone nearby. Sora slid further behind his hiding place. Once again, Kairi didn't notice him. Believing the area to be clear, she closed her eyes._

 _Kairi drew a breath before holding out her hand. Her faces screwed up in concentration. There was a flash of light from her hand. It acted as an explosion, forcing Kairi back against a wall. She slid down as Sora dug his fingers into the stone brick. She stood up, pushing back her hair. She tried again, only with the same result. Sora walked away, not wanting to get caught or see anymore of this. He couldn't bare to watch the scene unfold._

* * *

Miyu could feel the October wind start to cut into him from beneath his jacket. He stood outside the mine tunnel. He was wondering how far Henry had gotten into the tunnels that it was taking this long for Mamoru to find him.

The sound of a car's engine made Miyu tense. His first instinct was telling him to run. His feet were keeping him in place. Then there was the sound of gravel crunched underneath multiple feet.

"Oh no…" Miyu muttered. He spun on his heel, turning around to face those who had arrived. Emma Swan, Archie Hopper, and Archie's dog Pongo were rushing towards the mine shaft opening.

"What are you doing here?" said Emma.  
"I… I-I uh…" Miyu couldn't find his words. "Mamoru went down in the mines after—"

"And you didn't go with him?"

"I'm not his babysitter. Besides, he told me to stay up here and call for help if anything bad happened." Emma sighed. She looked annoyed and worried about something.

"Have you seen—" Pongo started barking. He dashed towards the mine entrance, Archie following after him. The dog dug around in a small bit of the rubble before pulling something out with his mouth.

"What do you got there, Pongo?" said Archie to his dalmatian. Obedient and loyal to his owner, Pongo deposited what he had dug up into Archie's hand.

"I don't think he's here," said Emma.

"Who?" Miyu asked.

"I think he is," said Archie. Miyu's question went ignored. Archie held up what Pongo had found. A candy bar. By the looks of it, the chocolate was still wrapped and untouched. "Candy bar. He had these with him."

"Who are you talking about?" Miyu asked once again.

"Henry," said Archie, peering own the mineshaft. "He ran off."

"I saw him." Emma and Archie's eyes locked on the boy. "He went down in the mines. Mamoru went after him."

* * *

Mamoru walked deeper into the mines. The sound of water dripping made him wonder how deep he was and just how far into the ground Henry had gotten.

"Henry!" Mamoru called out. His voice echoed off of the walls of the cave. "Henry!" There was a flash of light in the tunnel up ahead. Mamoru picked up the pace, and soon enough he found the source of the light. It was a flashlight carried by one person in particular.

"Henry!" Mamoru shouted when he saw the boy. He bounded towards him.

"Mamoru," said Henry. He almost seemed ecstatic. "What are you doing here?" Mamoru crouched down to Henry's eye level. He was relieved to see the boy okay.

"A better question to ask is what you're doing down here? Do you know how dangerous this is?"

"I have to find it." Mamoru blinked.

"Find what?"

"Proof. Proof about the curse!" Henry moved forward a few steps, shining the flashlight around the tunnel. Mamoru was dumbstruck. Any word he wanted to say was getting stuck in his throat. Of course. There was no other reason, was there?

He watched as Henry walked over to one of the walls. Something had caught the light of his flashlight, reflecting it back at them. With no effort, Henry removed a large shard of glass from in between the rocks.

"Like this!" said the boy. Mamoru sighed as Henry started to examining his discovery with the flashlight.

"Henry, that's just a piece of—" Before Mamoru could get his words out, the ground beneath them began to quake. Rocks from the mine began to shake and fall. "Henry!" Without hesitation, Mamoru sprang forward. He took Henry into a tight embrace. He shielded him from the collapsing area around them. Rocks came down from the mine's ceiling, striking Mamoru's body and head.

* * *

Above the mine, just as the tunnel started to collapse, another tremor rushed through Storybrooke. The ground shook, throwing off the balance of the three people above the mine. The closest to the tunnel was Archie. Emma and Archie felt the ground starting to shake.

"Henry!" Archie shouted in panic.

"Archie!" yelled Emma.

"Henry, it's not safe!"

"Henry!"

"Hey!" Miyu shouted, hoping that someone inside he mine could hear him. The rumbling of the earth was too loud.

"Henry!" Archie shouted once more. Being the closest, Archie wormed his way through the fallen beams and caution tape. He entered the mine as the tunnel started to collapse.

"Archie! Archie!" screamed Emma. "Henry!" Miyu made his way to run into the tunnel after Archie. The only thing to stop him was Emma. She was stronger than Miyu had expected, easily being able to hold him back by wrapping her arms around his waist.

"No!" Miyu yelled. The dust soon settled. The entrance to the mine was caved in. Miyu wormed her way out of Emma's hold. He was choking on air. Shock rendered him useless. The only one who seemed to act was Emma. She quickly pulled out her phone and called for help.

* * *

 _Sora was on the edge of his nerves. He had retold his story to Riku about what he saw Kairi doing. He couldn't stand still. Riku was leaning back in his chair, watching his friend pacing back and forth across the room._

 _"You pacing is more nerve wracking than anything," Riku said, his eyes moving back and forth as they followed Sora._

 _"She's worried. She's worried enough that she's training," said Sora. He ignored Riku's words., continuing to wear a groove into the wood. "While she's doing that, she's getting hurt."_

 _"I don't blame her. She's nervous." Riku placed a hand on his own shoulder, a look of grimace on his face. "So am I."_

 _"Yes, but you're not hurting yourself by making tiny magical explosions." Riku stared at Sora for a long time. He sighed, standing up._

 _"You're overreacting." Sora finally stopped pacing. He turned to face Riku._

 _"I'm not overreacting." The excessive pacing said otherwise. "I just… I want to be able to do something to help. After what happened yesterday, Kairi's probably going to refuse it again." Sora paused. He had to do something. He wanted her to tell him what was wrong. He didn't want to force her to do it. There had to be some way to achieve that goal. The gears in Sora's head began to turn. "I have plan. We just have to… convince Kairi to tell us what's going on without her knowing it."_

 _"So… we trick her?" Sora merely shrugged._

 _"Think of it as strategy."_

 _"Those are two completely different things." Sora walked towards Riku placing a hand on his shoulder. There was a positive aura growing around him now. There was no way Riku would be able to talk him out of this._

 _"We take her out to the forest with us while we patrol the borders. It will show her that there's nothing to worry about," Sora said, explaining the plan he was coming up with, "Or at least calm her nerves a little bit. In the meantime, when she's relaxed enough, we can find out exactly what she's been doing. It's a strategy." Riku pushed Sora's hand off of him._

 _"I don't know if that would work." Once again, Sora shrugged._

 _"Doesn't mean we can't try." Riku laughed lightly._

 _"Alright. I trust you." Riku walked away from Sora. He made his way towards the door. He was inches away from touching the door knob when his eyes shut tightly A look of pain crossed his face. Riku dropped down onto one knee._

 _"Riku!" Sora dashed over to his friend. Riku steadily got back on his feet. One hand was still on his shoulder, the other was pushing up against the door for support. "Are you okay?"_

 _"Yeah. I'm fine." Riku pushed off of the door to stand on his own. He forced a smile through the pain he was feeling. "I had a stack of crates fall on me earlier. It's just a bruise, don't worry about Sora." Sora nodded._

 _"I won't." Riku accepted Sora's lie. Sora opened the door. "Now, come on. Let's go see if Kairi wants a bit of fresh air."_

* * *

The dust finally settled down in the mines. Mamoru was still for a moment, adjusting to the pain he was feeling in his body. He let go of Henry. Something warm and wet was making its way down the side of his face.

"Everything hurts…" Mamoru groaned. He dropped on all fours. He blinked several times. His vision was having a hard time focusing on anything. He didn't know what was going on. The last thing he had remembered was Miyu begging him to go down to the mines together.

"Mamoru? Mamoru!" That was Henry Mills. His loud voice made Mamoru's head pound against his skull. He winced. Mamoru sat up. He couldn't show any sign of weakness. He looked over to Henry. He stared at him for a long time, trying to make sure what he was seeing was right.

"Henry? What… What happened?" Everything was almost like a blur.

"There was another earthquake. Some of the rocks fell, too." Mamoru looked around. They were down in the mines. At least that what he put together.

"Are you okay?" Henry nodded.

"I'm fine."

"You sure? You positive?" He couldn't see any clear sign of an injury on the young boy.

"Yeah." Henry focused on Mamoru. "You're bleeding." With a confused look, Mamoru brought his fingers to what was dripping on his face. He couldn't see clearly what it was. He had to guess it was blood.

"Don't worry about it." Mamoru took off his jacket. With a few harsh and shaky tugs, and with some help from his teeth, he managed to tear one of the sleeves off. He wrapped it tightly around his head, almost like a bandage. It made his head hurt even worse, but at least it would stop the bleeding. "See? I'm okay." Henry nodded. Mamoru slowly stood up. Bouts of nausea hit him like wave. He pressed a hand firmly on the rock wall hoping it would help him keep his balance.

"Henry? Henry?" Mamoru recognized the voice. Henry ran towards it. Mamoru followed. He wasn't keeping pace with the boy. He doubt he would even be able to. Henry jumped out from around a corner. Mamoru inched behind him.

"Archie!" said Henry.

"Archie?" muttered Mamoru. He emerged from behind the corner. Never in his life was Mamoru was as glad to see Archie Hopper with his umbrella as he was right then and there.

"Henry!" said the man, "Mamoru!"

"You're here to help us!" said Henry.

"Help?" Mamoru muttered. He couldn't tell if it was because of the blow to his head or not, but this entire conversation was confusing.

"No, Henry, listen," said Archie, "We got to get out of here, okay?"

"So, you're still against me?" said Henry.

"What?" Mamoru uttered to himself.

"Henry, there's no time for that," said Archie. "Come on, Henry! Come on!"

"You don't believe me? You'll see. You'll see!" Henry ran deeper into the mine.

"Henry! Henry – Henry come back! Henry!"

"Henry!" Mamoru called out. But it was too late. Henry was gone. Mamoru looked over to the psychiatrist. "What was he talking about?"

"I… Regina…" Archie was fumbling to find his words. The explanation for Henry's behavior didn't sound like good one, especially if Regina was involved. "She told me to crush his fantasy. Nothing was working. I had to adjust my method."

"His fantasy?" It took Mamoru a moment to realize what he was talking about. "You mean the Curse thing."

"Exactly." The boy sighed. There had to be no other explanation when the situation concerned Henry Mills.

"Come on… " Mamoru's hands slid against the stone. "Let's go get him. Before he does something stupid and gets himself killed." The two followed after Henry into the mineshaft.

* * *

 _Sora had to have dragged Riku over at least half of the castle grounds in the past hour they were searching for their princess. He was pretty sure Riku was silently glad that she wasn't in another castle or even another kingdom. When they finally tracked her own, Kairi was making her way to a meeting._

 _"Kairi!" said Sora. Kairi turned around, coming to a stop as the pair approached her. "There you are. We've been looking all over for you."_

 _"You have?" asked Kairi, a eyebrow raised. She didn't seem to believe it._

 _"Yes. We were… we were wondering if you… well, you don't have to but we were—" Sora didn't exactly know how to place his words. His entire plan just became ten times harder than he expected to put into motion. Luckily, Sora had Riku._

 _"Sora and I were wondering if you wanted to come along with us while we patrol the borders," said Riku, filling in the gaps where Sora was stuttering. Sora sighed, grateful that all that tension was off of his shoulders._

 _"What Riku said."_

 _"I'm not so sure about that. It doesn't seem like a good idea for me to leave the castle," said Kairi, "Especially unprotected."_

 _"But you won't be unprotected," said Riku. "You have us."_

 _"And I'm sure that if the need should arise, you can protect yourself Kairi," Sora said._

 _"I'm still not sure," Kairi mused. "There's too much I have to do." Sora felt like he had to do something. In hindsight, he probably should have thought this conversation through._

 _"Let the Council handle it!" he said quickly. "They've handled it for almost eleven years. What's one more day?" Kairi eyed him. There was suspicion in that one look Sora was given._

 _"You're being rather persistent."_

 _"Probably because you've been holed up in here for too long," said Riku, covering for Sora's pride, "Tell me. When was the last time you actually left the castle grounds?" Kairi was hesitant in answering._

 _"I admit it," she said after a moment, "It has been a while."_

 _"See? Our point exactly," Sora said. "Getting out will help you."_

 _"Nothing's better than fresh air to clear your head," said Riku._

 _"You're being very insistent," said Kairi. She shook her head. "I have a meeting to get to. I need to go." She turned and began to walk away. Once again, Sora wished he through over this conversation before he spoke._

 _"Kairi. Please," he said. Kairi stopped. "We're worried." She turned back around._

 _"About what?"_

 _"About you! I'm worried!" There was a heavy pause. Sora's face fell as he realized what he had just said. The look he received from Kairi would be forever burned into his mind._

 _"I'm going to the armory," said Riku, making his way away from the pair and swiftly moving in the other direction. "I'll be waiting."_

 _"Riku!" Sora called out. Riku didn't stop and didn't turn back. He just kept going._

 _"Talk about your problems!" And with that, Riku turned a corner and was gone. Sora made a mental note to bring this up later._

 _"You're worried?" asked Kairi, bringing Sora's attention back to her, "About me?" He sighed._

 _"Yes. Since you fell the other day," said Sora. "I followed you. I saw what you were doing." Kairi's eyes went wide._

 _"You saw…"_

 _"I want to know one thing." Sora put his hands on Kairi's shoulders, staring directly into her eyes. "Just tell me. Are you okay?" Kairi was hesitant. She was silent for what felt to Sora like minutes._

 _"I'm… fine." Kairi took Sora's hands off of her shoulders. There was a sense of hurt in Sora's eyes. After what he witnessed, he knew what Kairi had told him was a lie. "You know what? I will take you up on that offer. You go tell Riku that I will join you both. I'll send a Council member in my place." Sora nodded._

 _"Alright." Kairi turned and walked away._

 _"I'll meet with you both in a few minutes." Sora watched her go. When she was out of sight, he released a heavy, elongated sigh._

 _"Kairi…" he muttered to himself, thinking out loud, "why won't you tell me the truth?"_

* * *

The mine was dark and cold. Archie and Mamoru were searching around for Henry. With each step he took, Mamoru felt worse and worse. He had almost lost his balance twice and wasn't even sure how he was still standing. They kept pace the best they could with this handicap. They had to find Henry fast before the mineshaft started to collapse again.

"Henry?" called out Mamoru. "Henry?"

"Henry? Henry? Henry!" shouted Archie.

A bright light up ahead signaled that they found their target. The two made their way towards the light. It was coming from Henry's flashlight, which the boy was currently using to get a look down a hole in the rocks.

"Henry! Henry, Henry!" said Archie, getting Henry to notice them. "You got to slow down."

"There's something shiny down there," said Henry.

"Henry, this is seriously dangerous. We got to get out of here."

"It could be something." The boy wasn't listening to anything Archie was saying.

"You need to stop this, Henry," said Mamoru. He pressed his free hand to his head. It felt like someone was using the inside of his skull as a drum.

"No!" Henry's shout only made Mamoru wince at the noise.

"Henry, look at me! Look at me!" said Archie. There was a general feel of anxiety in his tone. Henry slowly turned his attention on him. "I'm frightened for you, Henry." Henry lowered his flashlight away from the hole.

"Because you think I'm crazy?" he said.

"No! No, because we are trapped underground in an abandoned mine, Henry. And there is no way out." The look that fell upon Henry's face stabbed Mamoru in the heart.

* * *

One of the best parts about living in a small town like Storybrooke was that you could always count on the members of the community. When Miyu called for help, nearly half of the town had arrived along with the sheriff and the mayor. Construction crews and firemen were working on unblocking the tunnel entrance. Miyu was jittery just by watching them. His state of mind wasn't being helped by Pongo's incessant barking.

"Archie's smart," said Marco, an old man that served as the town's handyman. Archie was a good friend of his. "He will keep the boys safe until we get to them." Miyu released a sigh. He hoped so. The ground started to shake again. Everybody near the mine backed away as rocks came tumbling down. The rumble threw several people off their balance. "Watch out!"

"Stop! Stop!" said Regina. The woman had been one of the first people to arrive on the scene. She ran down towards the mine. Her face read nothing but panic. "You're making it worse!" As soon as the tremor stopped, Emma regained her balance. She turned on Regina.

"I am trying to save him!" said Emma. "You know why he went down there in the first place, don't you? Because you made him feel like he had something to prove."

"And why does he think he has anything to prove? Who's encouraging him?"

"Do not put this on me."

"Oh, please! Lecture me until his oxygen runs out!" Regina sounded like she was on the edge of tears. Miyu felt his breath get caught in his throat. The gravity of the situation hit him full force. One thought grew louder and louder in his head until Miyu's inner voice was screaming.

If Mamoru died down in the mines, it would be all his fault.

* * *

Now with Henry added to the party, the three trapped down in the mineshaft continued their search for a way out. Mamoru was sure that something was wrong with him. It had to do with the blow he had taken earlier according to Henry. At this point, Henry had helped him stay steady as they moved along.

A noise soon echoed off of the walls of the caves. It was loud and distinctly animalistic.

"Do you hear that?" asked Archie. Mamoru put a hand to his head, wincing once again.

"It's so loud…" Mamoru said.

"It's Pongo!" said Henry.

"Follow the noise!" said Archie. They both sped up, making their way towards where the bark was coming from. Mamoru stumbled forward. It took only a moment to calibrate himself again.

"Wait up!" he called. His own voice was making his head hurt. He dashed to catch up, keeping his hand on the wall for support as he went.

* * *

 _The border patrol could have gone better. The trio of Sora, Kairi and Riku were stuck in a loop of silence. Not one of them spoke. Riku glanced over at the pair to the side of him. He cleared his throat._

 _"It's a lot colder than I expected it to be," said Riku, attempting to make a conversation. "I apologize for making you come out here."_

 _"It's perfectly fine. It feels nice to have a chance to get outside," said Kairi. She inhaled deeply, taking in the crisp air that the forest provided. There was a smile to her face. "You were right. I needed this." Riku leaned forward a bit, taking a look at the other Keyblade knight._

 _"Sora?" Sora had been quiet the entire time, which was strange since he was rarely ever this quiet. He was stuck in his own mind. "Sora!"_

 _"What?" said Sora. He blinked, shaking his head and pulling himself back into reality. "I'm fine."_

 _"You're distracted." Riku flexed out his hand, as if to summon his keyblade. "Did you see something?" Sora quickly shook his head. Riku relaxed._

 _"No." The quiet fell again. Like before, the silence was uncomfortable and unbearable._

 _"is it usually this quiet?" asked Kairi. Riku shook his head._

 _"Not really," he said, "A few small things here are there, but I can tell you that there's no darkness anywhere near the kingdom." Riku locked eyes with Sora, sending him a small nod._

 _"He's right, you know," Sora added, picking up where Riku left off. "It's rare that we actually get an encounter out here. Deeper into the forest, maybe." His voice was monotone and flat._

 _"Sora," said Kairi, "Are you alright?"_

 _"That seems to be the question of the day," Sora muttered. Kairi and Riku seemed to understand what had caused Sora's drop in his mood._

 _"You're still worried," said Kairi. her reply was a curt nod. She sighed. "It's nothing, Sora. I'm fine."_

 _"You know," said Riku. "Sora's not the only one who's worried." Kairi looked over to Riku._

 _"You too?"_

 _"Hey, I'm your friend too. I have the right to be—" Riku came to a halt. So did the two in front of him. His face was twisted up in pain. He stumbled to his knees, a hand clasped on his shoulder._

 _"Riku?!" said Sora. Both of them went to help him, and both of them were stopped when Riku raised his hand._

 _"I'm fine. Just an old wound acting up," said Riku. He looked up to Kairi. "If you would talk to us, then this whole messing situation could be done with."_

 _"Kairi, we're worried about you," Sora said continuing here Riku left off. "Why won't you tell us what's wrong?"_

 _"You want to know?" she said. She sounded like she was about to snap, which was was just about as true as possible. "I'm tired!"_

 _"That's obvious," Riku muttered. He pushed himself to his feet._

 _"No, I'm…" Kairi groaned, raising her tone of voice. "I'm sick and tired of not being able to defend my own kingdom and having to sit back while you two risk your lives! I've been trying to learn to defend myself so I can fight with you. I want to protect Lucidus. I want to be able to protect you. After all we've been through, I want you to give me a chance." Sora didn't know exactly what to do. He took a small step towards Kairi. He knew she was right, but up until this point, he had no idea that she had felt this way._

 _"Kairi… I— We—" Sora try to say. He couldn't form a coherent sentence. Everything got stuck in his throat. Lucky for Sora, he didn't have to finish his sentence. His luck came as a double-edged sword. What saved him from having to speak were shadows twisting up into monstrous forms around them. Sora's eyes narrowed._

 _"Dammit," muttered Riku. He held out his hand, summoning forth his Keyblade to fight. Sora looked back towards Kairi. She had taken her own defensive stance. She glanced over at him. With a simple flick of his wrist, Sora summoned his Keyblade to hand. He sent a nod Kairi's way. He had found his perfect words._

 _"I trust you."_

* * *

The entire situation was nerve-wracking. The prospect of death was weighing heavily on Miyu's mind. Death was permanent. Everyone was permeable to it, Mamoru included. The repeating thought would not stop. If he died, it was Miyu's fault. Miyu could not stop moving. He couldn't stand still. His mind was like a near blank slate, with that only thought in mind. He could hear conversations going on in the background.

"We have to stop this," said Emma. "Arguing won't accomplish anything."

"No, it won't," said Regina. It had to be the first time they ever agreed on anything.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Help me."

The darkness of the mines were both soothing and terrifying. At least it was to Mamoru. He didn't have to deal with bright light, or much light in general. The pain in his head was grateful for that. It wasn't grateful that the sound of Pongo's barking was increased tenfold by the echo the mines provided. However, the darkness still signified that they were still trapped. The possibility of death hung thick in the air.

"It's loudest over here," said Archie. He was right. The bark was pounding against Mamoru's head. Archie touched the source of where the barking was coming from. That wall was replaced with metal instead of stone. He pulled back the metal to reveal why it was there in the first place. It opened up into an elevated cage.

"What's…" said Henry. "What's this?" Archie stepped inside the cage, observing every nook and cranny.

"Looks like… an old elevator." Mamoru looked away from the elevator. He was tired. If something was wrong with him, they needed to get out to the mines. Then and only then could Mamoru sleep.

"Huh?" the boy muttered. Something shining in the light of Henry's flashlight had caught his attention. Glancing back at Archie and Henry, Mamoru followed where the source of the shine was coming from.

* * *

Idea after idea was being thrown around. The rescue crew couldn't very well dig their way through. The mine wasn't stable enough. Miyu found himself pacing back and forth across the sunken area where the mine originally opened up.

"Would you stop that pacing?" said Regina. Miyu came to a halt and turned to face her. He hadn't realized he was doing it until she pointed it out to him.

"I can't help it," said Miyu. "When I get nervous, I have to move."

"Well, it's not really helping the situation, is it?" A heavy sigh came from Regina. "We need to find some way to punch through the ground." Miyu continued his pacing behind the mayor. "We need something big."

"Like what?" asked Emma.

"Explosives," Marco suggested. Miyu stopped, his eyebrow raised. It wasn't the safest idea, but it was the best idea they had.

* * *

While Archie investigated the elevator, Mamoru did his own investigating.

"What the hell?" he muttered. Mamoru was out of the light. He scanned the surface of the wall where he saw the shine come from. The source was a small opening. Mamoru peered through it. On the other side was a wide cave, almost like an air pocket. Something was sticking out of the ground in the cavern. That had to be what was making the shine. It was fairly close to the opening, too.

"It's to get the mine workers in and out. It goes all the way to the top. That's why we could hear Pongo," said Archie. Mamoru reached his arm in. It was a semi-tight fit, but Mamoru managed to get in up to his shoulder.

"Can we make it work?" Henry asked.

"Let's give it a shot."

* * *

The workers lay down the lines for the explosives. Everyone cleared out of the area, finding cover anywhere they could. Miyu was still jittery from where he was positioned next to Emma. This had to work. This _needed_ to work.

"Okay," said Emma. "We're all clear."

* * *

Mamoru was only inches away from grabbing the object. His fingers grasped and wrapped around something. The touch was cold and metallic. Whatever it was felt like it was dead, as if it hadn't been used in decades.

Before he could pull it out, there was a flash in Mamoru's vision. He reeled back, pulling his arm out of the crack. He shut his eyes tightly. Voices echoed loudly on his ears.

* * *

 _"We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness! Just come with me."_

* * *

 _"The Heartless obey me now, _. Now I have nothing to fear."_

 _"You're stupid! Sooner or later they'll swallow your heart."_

 _"Not a chance. My heart's too strong."_

* * *

 _"Why? It was mine."_

 _"Know this. The heart that is strong and true shall win the _."_

 _"What? You're saying my heart's weaker than his?"_

* * *

 _"Take care of her."_

* * *

 _"Find a new crowd. Trust me. Those guys are bad news."_

 _"Why? You're the real sham."_

 _"Fair enough. You could say I am… the biggest nobody of them all."_

* * *

 _"Why?! Why do you have the _?"_

 _"Shut up!"_

* * *

 _"I have to release the power in my heart—the dark power that I've been holding back. Even… if it changes me forever."_

* * *

 _"I'm no one—just a castaway from the darkness."_

* * *

Mamoru staggered backwards, clutching his head. He felt panic surge through his veins. He didn't know what that was. But he was sure of one thing.

The voice he heard the most had been his own. The thought of that only made him question what had just happened even more.

The thing that snapped him out of this trance was Archie's voice.

"Come on!" said Archie. "Mamoru! Come help me with this." Mamoru took his eyes off of the shape embedded on the other side of the cave. It was either he found out what it was, or he could escape. He went over to the elevator with Henry. Both Mamoru and Henry helped Archie move the elevator, their combined effort turning the wheel and raising it. They were almost out.

* * *

Outside at the entrance, one of the rescue team members set off a chain reaction of explosions. Miyu covered his ears, hoping that the explosion, big as it was, did something he would benefit them.

* * *

Inside the mines, the elevator shook and shuddered. While Archie held onto Henry, Mamoru found himself gripping on tightly to the bars and the metal floor of the elevator for stability. The elevator dropped further.

* * *

The smoke cleared from the mineshaft. Despite having covered them, Miyu could still hear a sharp ring in one of his ears. The only person who dared to get close to the mine entrance was Emma. She ran into the smoke caused by the explosion, attempting to create a path through it with her hand. It was a few seconds before she came back out.

"Did it work?" Regina asked.

"It didn't open," replied Emma. The words cut through the tension like a rusty, blunt knife.

"Then what _did_ it do?" said Graham. Miyu felt sick to his stomach. He was rapidly losing hope. Guilt was seeping into those gaps.

* * *

 _The shadows were creeping and twitching around the three. Sora, Kairi and Riku stood back to back, surrounded by them. The moment they split from each other, the fight truly started._

 _What Sora had expected to be a short fight was taking far longer than expected. One of the shadows pounced, latching itself onto Riku's back. He jerked it off rather violently before turning around and thrusting his Keyblade into it. Out of the corner of his eye, Sora could see Kairi creating several flashes from her hands in her own attempt at creating something to fight with._

 _"Are you kidding me?" said Riku. Sora's attention was drawn back to him. There was a thin layer of sweat on him that was sticking his hair to his face. He swung back and cut through another shadow creature._

 _"When was the last time they go this close to the walls?" Sora asked, swinging at a few. There was a pause._

 _"Last year. It has to be." Sora couldn't forget that moment. That battle had been burned into his memory._

 _"It must be because of the Queen," suggested Kairi. Sora glanced over at her for a moment before another shadow launched itself at him with a hiss. He cut it down quickly. "Everyone is afraid. They're drawn to the darkness in people's hearts! Something I'm afraid to say is born from fear." A resounding, frustrated groan came from Riku._

 _"Shit," he muttered. Sora looked back at Kairi. She was only inches away from getting attack by one of the creatures._

 _"Kairi!" Sora shouted. He turned to help. Before he knew it, Kairi had bashed the shadow away with a large stick that she had picked up off the ground._

 _"Duck!" Sora compiled with the order from Riku. His friend swung above him, dissipating a shadow that had tried to attack Sora. Kairi ducked down, pulling Sora up in haste._

 _"Do you trust me?" Kairi asked him before he could get back into the fight. He blinked._

 _"What?" said Sora._

 _"Do you absolutely trust me?" Sora gave her nod._

 _"Completely." Kairi's eyes narrowed as she took a step back. Her face contorted with concentration._

 _"Then both of you get down!" The knights hesitated for a moment. It was only when they saw the number of shadows in the horde that they followed the order. Kairi held out both of her hands._

 _A feeling of warmth washed over them. A bright, white light flooded the area. There was the sound of violently hissing before all noise ceased. Sora and Riku stood back up. The shadows were gone._

 _"Wow," was the only thing to come out of Sora's mouth. Kairi had a joyful, relieved look on her face, despite the fact that she was bracing herself on her knees and breathing heavily._

 _"Agreed," said Riku. Their victory was short lived. Riku dropped down on one knee_

 _"Riku!" yelled Sora. Riku's Keyblade dissipated from its master's hand, causing Riku himself to fall on all fours. Sora's Keyblade left his own hand. He and Kairi knelt down in an attempt to help Riku back on his feet._

 _"I'm fine."_

 _"They tore through," said Kairi, "His armor is broken. They managed to find the gaps." Kairi's fingers barely brushed over the opening where the pieces of armor met. Riku flinched, sucking in air through his teeth. His reaction to someone's light touch was more than enough._

 _"I said I'm fine!" Riku insisted through gritted teeth. Sora had known Riku long enough to tell when he was lying._

 _"Let's get back to the castle," said Sora, placing Riku's arm over his back. They both slowly stood up. Sora could feel Riku putting half of his weight on him. A nod from Kairi was enough to get Riku to comply._

* * *

Everyone was still gathered around the mine. The explosives had little to no effect on opening the mine. The people present were in a flurry of emotions, especially the Mayor. She knew exactly who to take her anger and frustration out on: the unfortunate Emma Swan.

"What was that? What the hell was that?" said Regina, "You said you could do this!"

"Madam Mayor!" said Emma, trying to calm the mayor down.

"They could have killed my son!"

"I know, but this isn't helping."

"If we knew exactly where they were, we could drill down to them," suggested Marco. Miyu couldn't think straight. Pongo had not stopped barking. Whether it was because of the explosion or not, his barking only seemed to increase. They had put him in the fire engine to keep the dog from getting close to the mines when they tried to blow it up. Emma ran towards the fire truck Pongo was in. "Maybe… Maybe rig something to bring them back up."

"But drill where?" asked Graham. Emma opened the fire truck's door and let Pongo out.

"Come on buddy!" said Emma.

"What are you thinking we—" said Regina before Emma cut her off.

"It's Archie's dog." Pongo sniffed the ground for a while, and began pawing at a spot on the ground. "He's found something. Look! This is where they must be. What is it?" Graham and Marco removed a metal covering and a hole blocked grate bars was shown.

"What is that?" Miyu asked, brushing back his bangs. It looked to him like a sewer grate.

"It's an air shaft," said Graham.

* * *

Henry, Mamoru and Archie were sitting in the elevator. It was nothing but quiet. Mamoru was awaiting their eventual death.

"I'm really… really, really sorry," said Henry. The teen had almost forgotten Henry had been here. The boy had been so quiet for the past few minutes.

"It's alright," said Archie, keeping a calm tone.

"I just wanted to find proof."

"Proof…? About what?" Mamoru said. His tone of voice was low.

"The Curse." It Mamoru a few moments to remember what he had meant by the Curse.

"Right…"

"You know, it's really alright, Henry. And um, um, I'm sorry, too," said Archie. "Look, I… I don't think you're crazy. I-I just… I just think you got a very strong mother, who's got a clear idea of a path that she wants you to be on and when you step off that she… She gets scared. And, you know, it's natural. But it's also natural for you to be able to be free to think the things that you want to think. So, anyway. I… I didn't mean those things I said and I never should have said them."

"Then, why did you?" asked Henry.

"I guess I'm just not a very good person. I'm not the man I want to be. "

"Bullsh—" Mamoru said. He was cut off when the elevator suddenly shifted, sending the three farther own the shaft.

* * *

Marco put a hook attached to the trunk of his truck around the grate. Nothing else would be strong enough to get it off.

"Okay. Alright – gun it," commanded Emma. Marco started up his truck. The pulling weight was enough to pry the grate off with a loud, metallic clang. "That's good! Alright, we got it. Alright." The grate was pulled cleanly off. Emma, Regina, Miyu and Graham look down to the deep shaft.

"So, what's next?" asked Regina.

* * *

Henry, Mamoru and Archie were still sitting in the elevator. With impending doom looking over their heads, Henry was doing his best to keep spirits up.

"I think you can be him. I think you can be a good person," said Henry. "I mean, you're Jiminy Cricket."

"Henry. Henry, Jiminy Cricket was a… He was a cricket, okay?" said Archie. "And he was a conscious. And… And I hardly think that's me."

"But before he was that, he was a guy who took a long time to figure out the right thing to do." There was a long pause.

"That kind of sounds like me."

"Now it's harder for you because of the curse. To hear the voice inside of you. To be who you want to be." The elevator jerked again and moved farther down the shaft. Mamoru hit his head against the metal of the elevator, causing him to cry out in pain.

* * *

Everyone was gathered around the air shaft. This new discovery had opened up a possibility for a hopefully safe rescue.

"You need to lower someone straight down, or the line will collapse the side of the shaft," said Marco.

"I've got a harness," said Graham. Miyu was bouncing on his heels. This had to be it. This had to be the one that worked.

"Lower me down," said Regina.

"Oh, no way," said Emma. "I'm going."

"He's my son."

"He's my son, too. You've been sitting behind a desk for ten years. I can do this." Regina stared at Emma. No matter how much she protested, Emma had been right.

"Just bring him to me."

"Be careful," said Miyu in a low whisper. Emma gave him a small nod as Graham helped her into the harness.

* * *

Inside the mines, a few more stones dropped down into the elevator. The longer Henry, Archie and Mamoru were in there, more and more unstable the shaft became. The demise ahead was all they could think about, and all they could do was avoid the topic.

"Hey, can I ask you again?" said Archie.

"Ask what?" replied Henry.

"Why do you think it's so important that your… your fairy tale theory is true?" Mamoru stared at Archie. This wasn't the best topic to choose, given why Henry had gone down in the mines in the first place. Oh well.

"I don't know."

"Give it a shot."

"Cause this can't be all there is." Henry handed Archie a chocolate bar from his bag.

"I wish that were true," said Mamoru. Then everything would be different. He could have a better life.

"I understand," said Archie.

"I thought if I found proof…" said Henry. "But I didn't find anything."

"Well, that's not true. I was lost and you found me, right?" Archie handed a piece of chocolate to Henry.

"You mean, you remember?" Mamoru glanced over at Henry. Was this kid serious? He really did believe in that fantasy.

"No, Henry. I… I don't remember, but I do remember the kind of person I want to be. I just got to listen harder." Pieces of rock fell through the grate at the top of the elevator. Some noises erupted from the top. They looked up and saw a light.

"Wh-what's that?" Mamoru crossed his fingers that it wasn't the holy light people claimed to have seen before they died.

"I think that's the rescue." From above appeared Emma Swan, being lowered from an opening at the top. With the light behind her, Mamoru almost mistook her for an angel.

"You guys okay?" asked Emma.

"Yeah, we're…" said Archie, relieved. "We're okay."

"For the most part anyway," added Mamoru. He couldn't wait to get out. Then the pain arcing from his head and throughout his body could stop.

"Hang on, Henry," said Emma. She turned to the walkie-talkie she had on her harness. "Okay, that's good. Stop." Emma came to a gentle halt on top of the elevator. The slightest movement caused it to unnoticeably shift.

"Here you go," said Archie, picking Henry up off of the floor. "Up." Henry obliged. Emma quickly and carefully removed the roof of the elevator. With a boost from Archie, Henry was soon in the arms of his birth mother.

"Come on. I got ya. Okay. Okay, I got him."

"You got him? Is he safe?" The elevator started to shake. Mamoru's balance was already off. This was pushing it around even more.

"Archie? Mamoru?"

"It's going to fall!"

"I'm sorry!"

"It's okay!"

"Don't worry," said Mamoru. No one would worry about him when the elevator dropped.

Emma and Henry screamed in sync. The elevator finally gave away, falling down the entire shaft, resulting in a heavy crash at the bottom. Over the action of it, Mamoru braced pain as someone grabbed his arm, and the force of gravity tried to pull him downwards.

The dust soon faded and Mamoru soon found out why he was still alive.

Archie's umbrella had hooked onto a metal carabiner that was hanging on the loop of Emma's jeans. The psychiatrist had used it to save himself. His other hand was clung onto Mamoru's arm.

Emma laughed with relieved and Henry held up a thumbs-up signal to them both. Mamoru was just surprised to be alive.

* * *

With a signal from Emma to the world above, Emma, Henry, Mamoru and Archie were pulled out of the elevator shaft. Regina took Henry aside. Marco grabbed Archie and pulled him into a welcomed hug. Once Emma was unhooked, she ran over to Regina and Henry. When he broke through to the surface, someone came running over to Mamoru.

"Mamoru!" shouted Miyu. His hair more messed up than usual. With Miyu barreling into him the way he did, Mamoru felt pain rocket up his body and pain pound at his head. The pain was only doubled by the bright sunlight and noise of the crowd.

"Shhh!" Mamoru said, pushing Miyu off of him. "Just… be quiet… " Miyu clapped a hand on his shoulder. He began leading him away from the mass of people.

"Okay, let's get you to a paramedic..."

* * *

 _The claws of the Shadows were sharp enough to pierce armor, but were magical enough to do no actual damage to it. All damage was done underneath. This is why, as soon as they found themselves in the privacy of the armory, Sora and Kairi had Riku discard the protective suit he had been wearing._

 _"Riku, hold still," said Sora. While Kairi was working on a wound on Riku's arm, Sora had tasked himself with trying to get off his friend's chestplate. It would have been a lot easier if Riku wasn't moving around so much. He flinched the moment Sora touched him._

 _"Be careful!" Riku hissed back at Sora_

 _"Well, what do you expect?" Sora worked on undoing the piece. In a few short minutes, he finally got it off. He visibly cringed at the sight of the shirt that had been underneath. "There."_

 _"Thank you." The words were laced with sighs of relief. Sora put down the armor piece next to the rest of its components._

 _"It's fine." Sora made his way towards the door. "I'm going to go see if I can find anything else that might help." The wooden door shut behind him. There was silence between Riku and Kairi as she finished up on handling the gash in his arm. Kairi leaned backwards, getting a glance at why Sora had grimaced in the first place: the blood stain on the back of the shirt._

 _"Can you turn around for me? It looks like they got your—"_

 _"No," said Riku all too quickly for Kairi's comfort._

 _"Riku, please."_

 _"My answer is no. They didn't get my back. I'm fine."_

 _"Blood says otherwise." There was nothing he could do to get rid of the evidence at this point. "Take off your shirt and hold still." With a heavy sigh, Riku followed with the order. He winced from the pain caused by his movements and the fabric peeling away from where it had been glued to his skin._

 _Kairi didn't hesitate in getting started. The cloth she was using was already thoroughly stained, but it did the job. There was one spot of blood that Kairi couldn't well get off. It was rather dark for dried blood, almost an inky black. It was larger than the blood itself, stretching out from the small of Rikus back and curling around his shoulder blades. Curiosity got the better of her. The moment Kairi touched it, she felt the cold, frigid pain one would experience when being outside in the snow for too long. She had felt something like this before. It took a moment for her to recognize what it was._

 _Kairi's eyes widened at her realization. Her body remained still and frozen. Her cloth fell to the floor._

 _"Riku."_

 _"Don't say it."_

 _"What is this?" The sight was sickening to behold. It wasn't ink. Even if it was dried, it would have come off when she cleaned the initial wound. "This… this isn't new, is It? Please tell me it's..."_

 _"No. Don't worry." Riku stood up, turning to face Kairi. "This…" he sighed, "this is old. I've had it for over a year now." Kairi blinked._

 _"Riku, what are you talking about?"_

 _"After Lucidus fell, I went… I…" He was hesitating. Kairi knew full well he didn't want to talk about it. He hated talking about it. "You know what I'm talking about right?"_

 _"Of course I do," said Kairi with a nod. "Sora told me everything." Riku balled up the shirt in his hands._

 _"It's not good. Every negative emotion, every dark thought pushes it further." He dug his nails into the fabric of his shirt. Those memories had to be replaying in his head. "Once it entirely takes over, it's like they are another person."_

 _"That's what happened, isn't it?" Riku didn't answer. "Sora told me he had to fight you. That's why, isn't it?" Riku gave her a slow nod. "But I thought any of it that was left in your system was gone. I mean… it doesn't make sense."_

 _"Apparently not all of it was neutralized." Riku's words were spoken in a low tone._

 _"What? Is there no cure?"_

 _"Not that anyone knows of." Riku sighed once again. His grip on his shirt relaxed. "I looked everywhere I could. I asked everyone I thought could help. There's no way to get rid of this." That's when Riku's recent behavior surfaced in Kairi's mind. There was a reason for it. At that moment, she believed she had figured out what it was._

 _"You've been suppressing it."_

 _"Yes." There was a long pause. The silence in the room was louder than a person's scream._

 _"Riku…" Kairi uttered. She didn't know what to say. He turned away from her._

 _"I've been trying to keep calm for such a long time so it doesn't happen again," Riku continued. He refused to meet her eyes. "I never want to go back to that." After what she had seen of Riku during that period, Kairi more than believed him._

 _"Have you told Sora?"_

 _"No." Once again, Riku was quick to pounce on that reply. "I don't want you telling him either. He doesn't deserve this… this burden on him."_

 _"He'll want to help. We both will." Riku could not have reacted quicker. He spun around on his heels, facing Kairi._

 _"No. Sora has too much to deal with already. I don't want to add this on top of it."_

 _"Then let me help. My magic is pure light. It can push back the darkness. When you need to, just come to me and I'll help with the pain." Riku was rarely ever confused. This happened to be one of those occasions, going off his facial expression._

 _"Why are you doing this?" he asked._

 _"You're not just my guard, but my friend," said Kairi. "I can't bear to see any one of my friends in pain, especially when there's something I can do it help. That's why I didn't tell you or Sora what I was doing." Riku looked nothing more than relieved._

 _"Thank you." Riku pulled his shirt back over his head, making sure than the mark on his skin was completely covered. "Be discreet about this. I don't want Sora to get suspicious and start asking about it." Kairi nodded._

 _"I will."_

 _Unknown to Riku and Kairi, Sora was standing outside the door. He had heard their entire conversation. There was the burning sensation of shock and heartbreak rising. More secrets and lies from the two people he trusted most. The connection was him. They didn't want to tell him. They didn't want him to worry. They cared, but so did he._

 _Sora stiffed an upper lip and walked into the room, a smile plastered on his face to hide what was actually underneath: the pain growing in his heart._

* * *

It was night, and most of the town was still at the mine site. Even hours after the rescue, people were still abuzz with chatter. Mamoru was leaning up against a truck. He couldn't tell who it belonged to. Apparently he had protected Henry from the initial rock fall that caused them to be trapped in the mines. In the process, he was struck in the head. The result was a gash on the side of his face and the explanation for his recent behavior: a concussion.

"The lights still hurt…" said Mamoru, his head down low and his eyes squeezed shut. A hand was put on his shoulder.

"I can't tell if that's you being an idiot," said Miyu, "or if it's because of your concussion." Mamoru, once again, pushed Miyu's hand off of him. Due to his condition, Mamoru's wish to sleep was dashed. Until he was given the okay on that, Miyu had assigned himself the job of talking to Mamoru to keep him awake.

"Believe me, it's my concussion." Mamoru leaned backward, leaning up against the unknown truck. "I'm surprised it wasn't worse." If it had hit him in the right place, with the right amount of force, that collapse from earlier could have very well killed him.

"Well, you're alive, right?"

"Yeah." That was the important thing. He was alive. And there was nothing right now that could change that.

A new, subtle sound began to surround the area. It didn't help Mamoru's headache.

"Are those crickets?" Miyu asked. The crowd fell almost silent at the new noise.

"Noisy crickets." Mamoru lowered his head into his hands.

"Huh. I think this is the first time I've actually heard crickets before." Mamoru lifted his head back up, glancing over to Miyu.

"Strange, isn't it?" Miyu nodded. He was grinning.

"I like it." While anything concerning Miyu made Mamoru agitated, this time felt different. Instead of sighing, he let out a breathy laugh.

"Of course you would." Miyu looked over at him, seemingly offended.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mamoru put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it."

* * *

Outside the mine, the workers and the crowd were chatting with one another and drinking to celebrate their victory over the forces of nature. In their merriment, no one took notice in Storybrooke's mayor wandering off. Regina made her way over to where the air shaft was. There was no one around it to see what she was about to do. She took out a piece of glass from her pocket. It was fairly similar to the shard Henry had found earlier. Without hesitation, Regina tossed it down the air shaft.

The glass fell. It fell until it landed on the cold ground, shattering upon impact. Next to where the shard met its end was a broken coffin made of glass.

That wasn't the only unusual thing in the mine.

Buried behind a rockfall from the rescue crew's explosion was a circular cavern. It was blocked off from anyone reaching it now. It was hard to believe that earlier, someone had also discovered what the cave was hiding.

Keys. Eight, large keys were struck into the rock of the ground. Each of them held their own unique designs, and varied in the range of their lengths. Overall, they were a couple of feet long.

In the center of the room were two keys. The one had a golden handle and silver blade shone like a sword, the tip of the blade was pointed like the teeth of a key, cut out with a crown shape. A chain with a strange token attached at the end hung from the pommel of the weapon. It's partner that it was crossed with seemed to carry the reverse colors. They were two, perfect opposites in color. In everything else, they were identical.

The six remaining keys were arranged in a perfect circle. One of them was fairly close to where the former opening had been.

The boy of the key was a red, purple and blue blade shaped like a demonic wing. The wing was strengthened out to make it look more like a key. The guard was built up of one angelic wing and one demonic wing. A dark angelic wing acted as the key's teeth. The token hanging off the end of the key's handle was a black heart with half of a _fleur-de-lis_ at the bottom that was outlined in red.

The key was faintly glowing a blackish-blue color. It had been docile for so long, forced into a unrestful sleep by a curse. There was n magic in the area. It couldn't reach it. It couldn't wake up. I couldn't find him. The one who had wakened it. The key had done the same for him, even if their exchanged was brief.

The Keyblade was loyal to its master. It wanted nothing more than to return to his hand. But it was too weak. There wasn't any magic. That curse had done this. It stripped the Keyblade way from its master's heart. It had made it dormant. But there was thing the curse did account for: the weapon's master finding it. A simple touch was enough to cause an exchange between the two. The Keyblade had touched his true, sleeping heart.

It had been it's Riku's touch that had awakened it. The Keyblade could only hope for Riku to wake up from his nightmare as well.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I want to apologize for my eight month hiatus from this story. I apologize that some people have believed that I abandoned this story. Let me say this. _I will never abandon this story_. The reason I took an unexpected hiatus was due to family problems, anxiety and what I believe is depression. I'm not sure on that last part. Anyway, it got fairly bad and I lost the motivation to write for that period. Over the summer I got some help and slowly have been getting back into the swing of things. Like before, it will usually take me about a month or so to write chapter six. It's a lengthy process I go through for one chapter... but it's worth it.**

 **I am highly considering making a Tumblr or something for this just so I can keep shit like this from happening again. I am highly sorry for taking such a long time to write this up. But, I hope the length made up for the long wait! This chapter is about 13,500 words. So far it is the longest chapter in the story, compared to the others which have about 7,000.**

 **And a thanks to WolfDragon for giving me the idea of having the Keyblades be down in the mines! A+ to you, my friend!**

 _ **The rest of this Author's Note will take care of some questions I've seen being asked by the readers. Feel free to skip this part if you wish and continue on with the story.**_

 **QUESTION: "BTW, are you just going to do a story like this for season 1, or are you planning on continuing on to other seasons? 'Cause I'm really curious to see Sora and Riku's interactions with an evil Peter Pan…"**

 **ANSWER: Yes! I do plan to do the rest of the seasons up to season six if enough people want me to. It depends on how season seven plays out and whether or not I will have to resort to making my own characters for that story. Seasons 1 is completely mapped out right now. Seasons 2-4 are roughly blocked, there are some gaps missing. Seasons 5 and 6 are just some ideas at this point. I will flashback to their time in Neverland during Season 3 to show past interactions with Peter Pan and Hook.**

 **QUESTION: "If Jesse's not Roxas, then is he Ventus?"**

 **ANSWER: Yes. I went back and updated the past four chapters to fix spelling errors that I missed and other grammatical mistakes. I also edited the Storybrooke Names list in _The Price of Gold_ , so now it does confirm that Jesse is Ventus's Storybrooke counterpart. But, until season six, he will remain comatose and most of his scenes will be done in flashbacks. Roxas, however will be coming up soon in his official debut into the story! He already had a small cameo in chapter one. I can't _wait_ to write _True North_ for that reason.**

 **QUESTION: "And why do I have a feeling Xehanort is tided in to all of this?"**

 **ANSWER: Because Xehanort has his hands in everything such as Terra. Literally. (I think. DDD never specified on that. Is he still possessed?) He won't be much of a threat until Season 2. Unfortunately, you may be the Seeker of Darkness, but that doesn't stop the Dark Curse from effecting you. Heck, it even effected Rumpelstiltskin. The only reason he remembered is because of that spell he put on Emma's name.**

 **QUESTION(s): "Also where is kairi?" "** **Love the moments between Sora and Kairi. Wonder who she is in storybrooke?"**

 **ANSWER: Um... how do I put this? Kairi is not in Storybrooke. If enough people want to, I will reveal why Kairi isn't in Storybrooke in Season 2. We will get Present!Kairi scenes in that season as well as a sweet (and bittersweet due to spoiler reasons) reunion between her and her boys and everyone else. Until then, the only scenes that will have Kairi in them are flashback scenes such as the one in this chapter. HOWEVER. There is someone _related_ to Kairi in Storybrooke. She has already been seen in the story, but just as a nameless background character. She will appear in _Mystery Wrapped In An Enigma_ as an official debut.**


	6. The Boys on the Beach

**Chapter VI: The Boys on the Beach**

* * *

Storybrooke had begun to the slow shift from autumn to winter as November took over the town. Mamoru's feet dragged through the leaves strewing the ground as he made his way to school. It would be his first day back after the incident and his accident down in the mines. That's what the Daily Mirror had taken to calling it anyway.

Mamoru thought he was walking alone, but the sound of rushing footsteps behind him made him believe otherwise.

"Good morning!" said a cheerful and unforgettable voice. Miyu's greeting was loud, and took a stab at Mamoru's head. He winced.

"Shut up," he seethed. Mamoru pinched the bridge of his nose, lowering his head in an attempt to quell a growing headache. "God, why do you have to be so loud?"

"Your head still bothering you?" Mamoru looked up and over at Miyu. He looked somewhat concerned. He was holding a skateboard under his arm.

"Yes."

"It can't be as bad as earlier, right?" He felt like shaking his head but with the small pain growing, it was probably not a good idea.

"Not really. The doctor says I should be clear to return to work in a couple of days." It was specified when Mamoru could return to work. That missing bit of information was irritating greatly.

"But didn't you go immediately to the sheriff's station the day after the mine collapse?" Mamoru hesitated. He didn't want to answer. It was true that he did. His hand drifted over to the back of his head. The sound of breaking glass echoed on his ears. The smell of liquor lingered on his nose.

"What's your point?" said Mamoru, avoiding answering Miyu's question.

"It's kinda strange." Mamoru sighed. He still didn't want to answer the question.

"Forget about it." He didn't want to deal with Miyu's interrogation questions. Now to change the subject. "Why are you so upbeat this morning? It's Monday. And you're walking next to me." Mamoru paused. He had just realized what Miyu was doing. "Why are you walking next to me?" Miyu stared at him, blinking for a few seconds before coming up with an answer.

"Oh! Right. It's just that… well…" Miyu averted his gaze from Mamoru. This was only more intriguing as to why the boy was walking with him. He was avoiding giving his answer. "It's your first day back at school and I kinda… Well, I wanted to…" Miyu looked towards the ground, "to make sure that you're okay." Mamoru stared at the shorter teenager.

"Is this some kind of guilt trip thing going on with you?" Miyu whipped his head around to look at Mamoru again.

"What? No!" He shrugged off the notion with a small laugh. "Not at all!" Mamoru's eyes narrowed.

"Do I need to remind you it's my job to find when people are lying?" he said. Miyu grew visibly uncomfortable. "I may be recovering, but I can still pick out lies. Especially in you."

"No. It's not guilt…" Miyu paused, "entirely."

"Entirely means it's part of it," Mamoru sighed again. He stared out at the path in front of him. "Look, I really don't want to talk about what happened down there, or what happened after. It's like you said. I'm lucky to be alive." He wanted to forget about it altogether.

"You sure that you're okay?" Mamoru gave him a small nod in response as they came up towards Storybrooke Secondary School.

"Positive."

* * *

 _Thunder rumbled and lightning cracked out on the open seas. A flag detailed with several flowers arranged around a sun was flapping around in the strong winds. The ship had been making its way back from retrieving their knights that had been sent to aid a faraway kingdom. They were miles away from either coastline when the storm came out of nowhere. They were not prepared for it. All of the crew members and passengers were scrambling around the deck, hoping to make it through the hurricane alive._

 _"Dammit. This storm's not letting up any time soon, Captain," said a sailor. He and the ship's captain were gripping on tightly to the railing of the ship. "I think it's gotten worse—!" A sudden jostle of the ship made the sailor lose his balance and his hold. He was sent flying backwards, accelerated by the water on the deck. Just before he could go overboard, the sailor was nabbed by someone from behind. He hear the distinct metallic sound of armor as he hit up against the body._

 _"Got you," said the armor-clad man. The sailor looked back at him with a relieved look on his face._

 _"Thank you, Haru." The man in the armor, Haru, righted the sailor. He looked around. The rain would not let up any time soon. Haru put his hands on the sailors shoulders._

 _"I need you to get below deck." The sailor looked at him with an intense curiosity._

 _"What about you?"_

 _"I'll take care of the rigging. You just get everyone down below deck." The sailor didn't move. He just continued staring. Haru was one of the knights of the kingdom. The only time he had ever been on a deck of a ship was when he was boarding it. The knight was trained with a sword, not tying knots._

 _"But… do you even know how?"_

 _"Doesn't mean I can't try. Go!" The sailor swallowed down a bad feeling in his throat and nodded. He kept a sturdy footing while on deck and shouted to his fellow crewmates._

 _"Let's move!" Haru watched as the sailors began to scatter below deck. Someone had to tie up the sails. Otherwise, they would get torn apart by the winds. The knight slowly made his way over to the mast. He began to climb up it. It was a difficult task, but somehow haru managed to make it up to the top. Using what little nautical knowledge he had, the man began to hoist up the sails and secure them. As he worked, the storm seemed to up its game. heavier waves were slamming up against the ship, throwing it around in the sea._

 _"Shit," Haru muttered under his breath. The mast was a lot slipperier than he expected. he could have fallen at any minute. He had to hurry._

 _"Haru!" Haru looked down. the captain of the boat was yelling at him. "Get your ass down here!"_

 _"Sorry, sir!" Haru shouted back. "If I don't do this, we'll all die out on the waters!" Another wave threw itself against the ship. Haru was thrown forward._

 _"Haru! If you go overboard, your armor will pull you down!" The knight ignored him. "Haru!" Haru looked up ahead of him. He wasn't going to be able to get this done. Haru sat up and fished something out from under his armor. A star shaped pendant made from seashells was clutched in his fingers. It had been given to him by his wife when he left on his first journey years ago, back before their marriage. Since then, he had always carried it with him as a promise to return home. Rain mixed in with tears that were now falling down his cheeks._

 _"It looks like I won't make it home after all. I'm sorry, Yuriko. Sora." He put the pendant to his lips._

 _"Haru!" There was a flash of lighting as the wave came down on the ship. The wave almost made the ship capsize. When the vessel stabilized, the captain looked up. The knight was gone._

* * *

School had just let out. Mamoru had made it through the day with some difficulty. His head was beginning to hurt again. It was a dull throb and affected his vision a bit, but all in all he felt he wasn't in the position to complain about it.

Mamoru could hear the sound of an extra pair of feet crunching over leaves behind him. A subtle groan escaped his mouth. He came to a stop and turned. Striding up behind him was Miyu once more.

"And you're following me again," said Mamoru. Miyu caught up with him. Mamoru took note of the skateboard once again tucked under his arm.

"Not following. Walking with," Miyu told him. "There's a difference." Mamoru rolled his eyes.

"Okay. Why are you walking with me again?" It didn't sound any better than before.

"Do I really have to have a reason?" Once again, Miyu was avoiding looking at Mamoru directly.

"Yes." Mamoru groaned, putting his face in his hands. "Irino just… just leave me alone, alright?"

"Jeez, you don't have to be so rude about it." Mamoru looked up to Miyu.

"I'm not being rude."

"Mamoru, I'm just walking home with you." Miyu sounded like an innocent child. It was a simple request, but it was one Mamoru did not want to comply with.

"Yeah, for no real reason." Mamoru didn't want to be followed. The reason Miyu was walking with him better have been a good one. "Give a reason and then you'll see what happens."

"Maybe I just want to walk home with you." Miyu was leaning up on him.

"You're getting too close." Mamoru pushed Miyu to the side.

"Come on. You're usually all alone. Just let me do this." Miyu did have a point. Mamoru, however, liked being alone.

"I'd rather you not see where I live." He didn't want Miyu to see where he currently was staying either.

"Come on!" Miyu was getting closer to him. He wouldn't let this go, would he?

"No!" Mamoru resonated a low, frustrated growl. "Miyu, you're getting too cl—" Mamoru didn't get the chance to finish his sentence. The space between him and Miyu Irino ultimately closed as their legs intertwined with one another. Both boys were sent crashing down hard on the pavement.

The skateboard Miyu had with him went flying. It struck a nearby car. The alarm starring going off. Miyu scrambled over to the car the second Mamoru untangled himself from the boy. He picked up his own mode of transportation.

"Ouch," said Miyu, sucking in air through his teeth.

"Dammit," Mamoru muttered. He stood up, taking a second to let the world reconfigure around him. He walked over to where Miyu was standing. The skateboard had struck the side view mirror of the car with enough force to break it. There it was, dangling by what looked like a cable. A few pieces of the mirror had broken on impact and were now laying on the sidewalk. Mamoru and Miyu stood there, stunned in silence.

Mamoru was jerked back to reality was the sound of the car alarm shutting off. Moving swiftly from across the street was a man with a pair of car keys in his hands. Apparently Mamoru wasn't the only one who caught this.

"We have two options in front of us," said Miyu in a hurried whisper. "We book it or we run for it."

"Those are the same things," Mamoru replied in the same tone.

"Which I think both are great options." Before the two could even think about their next move, hands were placed on their shoulders to stop them from going anywhere. Glancing over his shoulder, Mamoru caught sight of a man with silver hair. He recognized him from a brief encounter at the hospital not too long ago.

"Not so fast," said Jason Holland. His voice was cold and carried a hint of anger to it. "You two are going to pay."

* * *

 _The muffled sniffs were louder than one would expect. People knew where they were coming from. It wasn't like they could do anything about it. The tragedy was irreversible._

 _A small four year old had his face buried into what served as his pillow. His friend sat by his side. It had been only a few days since they found out about it. Out of the two of them, Sora was taking his father's death the hardest._

 _"He's not coming back, Sora," said the silver-haired boy. He stares at the ground._

 _"I know, Riku," Sora replied. He buried his face deeper into his pillow. "I still miss 'em."_

 _"Everybody seems to be going away," said Riku. He swung his legs off of the side of the bed, watching their movement. "The king… your father…" Sora sat up. He clung onto his pillow as if his life depended on it. Riku was right. It had been a couple of days after his father's departure that the king of Lucidus mysteriously vanished. There was no trace of him to be found._

 _"Who's next?" Sora asked. There was a slight shaking in his voice._

 _"I don't know," Riku replied. Sora grabbed onto the sleeve of Riku's shirt. He dug his nails into it. Riku looked over to him._

 _"You won't disappear on me will you?" Riku shook his head hard enough to make his hair whip at his face._

 _"No. Only the grown ups disappear." Sora loosened his grip. "I won't!" Sora hiccuped a faint smile that lasted for about a fraction of a second._

 _"Sora? Riku?" said a gentle voice from the door. Sora's mother entered the room, her skirt barely touching the floor._

 _"Hi," said Sora. He propped his head up on his pillow._

 _"Hello, Miss Yuri!" Riku said with a small wave. Yuriko walked over to the boys. She crouched down in front of them._

 _"What are you two doing in here for?" said Yuriko. "It's a beautiful day outside."_

 _"But we're not supposed to leave the castle," Sora said, repeating one of the many rules that every child living in the palace knew._

 _"Are they still searching it?" asked Riku. Everyone had been confined to their rooms. The boys had no idea as to why. The adults wouldn't tell them._

 _"Yes," Yuriko said. "However, you two are exempt from that rule for now. You are children. It's also the reason I don't want you in here right now."_

 _"What's going on?" asked Sora. "Why are they searching the castle?" Yuriko bit down on her lip._

 _"It's… complicated."_

 _"What do you mean?" His mother sighed, pushing back stray strands of hair that had fallen in her face._

 _"Don't worry about it. For now, why don't the both of you go enjoy yourselves? It's the perfect day to go down to the shoreline."_

 _"Miss Yuri, what about the guards?" questioned Riku._

 _"Riku, it is like I said," Yuriko told him,standing up, "You are but children. I do not believe that either of you could be involved with this search."_

 _"Is it okay?" Sora asked his mother. He dug his nails into his pillow._

 _"It's fine. Now go," said Yuriko. She put her hand on her child's back. "Sora, you need to get outside. You can't stay in your room all day."_

 _"I can try!" Yuriko laughed._

 _"Come on. Go have fun." Her happiness dimmed. "It's what your father would have wanted." Sora looked up at his mother, lowering the pillow._

 _"Is it?" She nodded._

 _"I'm sure of it. He loved you very much. He would want you to be happy." Sora didn't move._

 _"I miss him." Yuriko put an arm around her child._

 _"As do I. But, you have to remember, he's not gone." Yuriko lifted Sora's chin so he was looking at her. She placed her finger on his chest, directly over his heart. "He's always with you. No matter where you go." Sora nodded._

 _"Okay."_

 _"Come on, Sora!" said Riku from the doorway. "Before they close the gates!" Sora looked to his mother. With the nod she gave, he dropped his pillow onto the bed. He raced out the door after his friend._

 _"Riku! Wait for me!"_

 _"Be back before sunset!" Yuriko called after the two boys._

 _"Yes, ma'am!" was Riku's echoed reply. Yuriko leaned up against the doorway as she watched them run off._

 _"Are you sure that this will work?" Yuriko asked. One of the palace guards had approached her from behind._

 _"It's better that she trusts someone her own age," said the auburn haired man. "She has been avoiding us since the King disappeared."_

 _"Poor child. I can understand." Sora had locked himself away for days when he first found out about Haru._

 _"Yes. My condolences about your husband." Yuriko stared at the ground. She bit back bitter tears. "I saw him fight many times. He was rather brave."_

 _"Thank you." Yuriko delivered a heavy sigh. She turned her attention back towards the empty hall. "Let's see what happens. I can only hope that all three return safely."_

* * *

Jason lead the two boys into the building across the street without a single word. He took them upstairs to a place that made Mamoru feel incredibly uncomfortable. Shelves full of textbooks and filing cabinets lined the walls. Papers were scattered on a desk on the far side of the room. The strong scent of bitter, black coffee was unbearable. By his best guess, Mamoru had to say this was Jason's office.

Jason released them the second they stepped inside. Mamoru and Miyu hung back in the room's center. Jason went for something on his desk. Mamoru glared over at Miyu.

"I blame you for this," he muttered to the boy beside him.

"What?" Miyu said in a harsh whisper. "Why me?"

"I told you to leave me alone."

"Once. You told me once." Mamoru felt his eye twitch and his eyebrows narrow.

"Once should be plenty!" His voice had raised in volume.

"Enough. Both of you," said Jason, putting a hand to his head. Their rising argument broke as Miyu and Mamoru looked over to the man. "Before you give me a headache."

"L-Look, sir, it was a complete accident," said Miyu. It was as if facing Jason made him lose all his confidence. "It's not like we wanted to break off your mirror. It just sort of… happened."

"Weren't you the two boys I found sneaking around the hospital the other day?" Miyu swallowed down something in his throat.

"Well, we weren't technically sneaking when you think—" Mamoru put a hand over Miyu's mouth. The less he talked, the less likely they were going to be in bigger trouble than they already were.

"Yes," Mamoru said. He lowered his hand before Miyu had to chance to use his own means of getting it off. He had learned his lesson the last time. "Yes, we were."

"We'll pay you back!" said Miyu the second Mamoru was done. "I swear!"

"If I'm correct, don't the both of you only work part time?" said Jason. He was surprisingly calm for someone who just had their side view mirror broken off by two teenage boys. "Both of those paychecks combined won't be enough. I'll have to find another source for that payment. Your parents should suffice." Mamoru felt his heart stop. No. No, he couldn't call his father. That would lead to dangerous and undesirable consequences for Mamoru himself.

"No!" The speed and volume at which Mamoru had responded made heads turn to him. The teen hesitated before continuing in a calmer manner. "Isn't there a second option?"

"Please," Miyu said. He seemed as distressed as Mamoru was. Mamoru didn't believe he had the same reasons behind such desperation.

"Hmm. I suppose that we could make a small deal," Jason said. Jason bent down over a notepad that was on his desk. He took a few seconds to write something down on it. He tore the sheet off of the notepad, split it in half and handed one half to the two in front of him. "Meet me at this address tomorrow." Relieved, Miyu and Mamoru began to leave. One last sentence made them momentarily freeze. "And that is not a request."

* * *

 _The sun beat down on the beach lining Lucidus's coastal borders. One small child was combating the heat by taking his shoes off and wading in the ocean waters. The other stayed defiantly on the sand._

 _"Come on!" said Riku, knee deep in the blue sea, "Come on in, Sora!" Sora shook his head._

 _"No," responded the boy. He had made it perfectly clear that he didn't want to go into the water. He didn't even want to be near it._

 _"It's not that bad." Sora shook his head again, this time only more furiously._

 _"No."_

 _"Sora."_

 _"Riku." Sora could play this game all day if necessary. He was determined to._

 _"The water feels good! It's not going to hurt you!"_

 _"No! The water's a bad thing! It can hurt you!" Sora brought his knees up to his chest. "Come back over here!" Riku stood up to his full height. He turned and looked over at the beach._

 _"Tell you what. You can stay over there. I'm staying right here." Sora dug his nails into the fabric of his pants._

 _"Riku! Come on!"_

 _"Sora. The water is fine." Riku kicked at it to help prove that it was harmless. It didn't fight back. "It's not going to hurt."_

 _"I don't believe that."_

 _"Fine. You can stay there. I'll be over here." Riku turned back around. He stared at the waves in front of him._

 _"Riku…" said Sora's wavering voice. Riku looked over his shoulder at Sora. The expression he had on his face was unsettling. The boy looked terrified._

 _"Hey, I'm not near the tide," said the silver-haired boy. "I won't be pulled out to sea if that's what you're scared of." Sora curled up tighter into his ball. That wasn't it._

 _"It still doesn't look safe…" Riku walked out of the waves and sat down next to his friend._

 _"Take your shoes off." Sora scrambled off to the side. He was staring at Riku as if his friend had just let out a string of curses._

 _"What? No!"_

 _"Take your shoes off and roll your pants up. Your mother is going to get mad if they get wet." Despite being only a few inches taller than Sora, Riku was easily able to pull him off of the ground. Sora wasn't going near the water without a fight._

 _"No!"_

 _"Come on, Sora!" Sora fought against Riku's hold on him. He kicked sand at his heels._

 _"No! Riku! Stop it! No!" Riku let go of Sora. The boy regained his footing as Riku walked back out onto the water. It lapped at his ankles like a hungry dog._

 _"See? It's fine. It's not going to hurt you or hurt me. Now take your shoes off and roll up your pants." The brunette frowned. He stared tentatively at the water._

 _"Fine." Sora did as he was told. With a little force from Riku, Sora managed to get the water up to his ankles. He didn't want to go any further._

 _"You see?" said Riku. "It's not so bad."_

 _"I guess…" Sora kicked at a dying wave. It wasn't so bad._

 _"Sora?"_

 _"What?"_

 _"You can let go of me now." Sora blinked. He hadn't noticed that the entire time, he had been clinging onto Riku's shirt like his life depended on it._

 _"Oh. Sorry." He let go, taking a few steps back._

 _"It's okay." Riku looked back at the trees that blocked the kingdom's outer walls from view. "Hey, I'm gonna see if I can get some of that fruit from up there. You stay here."_

 _"O-Okay." Sora watched as Riku made his way back to the shore. He turned his attention down at the water. It looked so gentle. He didn't understand how something like it could turn so violent and suck a person down below it._

 _Afraid that would actually happen, Sora took a few steps back. He picked up his shoes from off the sand and put them back on before Riku could notice. He looked around the beach. He didn't go here often since he wasn't allowed to leave the castle on his own, and his mother was almost always busy. So, Sora made the choice go wander around._

 _The boy walked away from the little spot. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a group of vines clinging to the rock. A small breeze came by and blew them. Before they could fall back into place, Sora got a glimpse of an opening. He walked over and pushed through the vines. Behind them was a tunnel that opened up into a large, empty cavern._

 _Sora slowly made his way into the cave. The only source of light was an opening above. It didn't provide much. Sora could still somewhat see, which he was grateful for._

 _Lumped over into the corner was a large shadow. Assuming it was a rock, Sora plucked up a small bit of bravery and got closer. Just before he could touch the mass to confirm his thought, the lump moved. Fear rushed into the place of courage._

 _"Riku!" Sora screamed. He ran towards the cave entrance as fast as his feet could carry him._

* * *

The next day was worse than the last. Mamoru's head would not stop tapping him every couple of minutes, but now he had to spend his afternoon doing whatever with Miyu Irino and could not take a break from it.

Mamoru glanced down at the address he was given the day prior. He was at the right place. He just never expected that Jason would send him to his own home.

Mamoru walked up the pathway, stuffing the paper into his pocket. Miyu was waiting by the front porch, messing around with something in his fingers. The brunette had arrived at their mysterious destination a few minutes before Mamoru did by the looks of it. He didn't say anything upon spying Mamoru. He just kept on fidgeting. A few minutes of silence and awkwardness passed before either one spoke.

"Stand still, will you?" Mamoru asked. "You're making me nervous."

"I can't!" Miyu said. He didn't stop. Instead, he shoved his hands into his pockets and out of sight. "I feel like he's going to kill us!"

"Well, if he does, I blame you." The possibility of being killed popped into Mamoru's head. He groaned. "So help me, if we die, I will haunt you in the afterlife."

"You can't do that if I'm also dead."

"So you want me to make your afterlife a living… I mean absolute hell then?" Miyu shook his head. At least he seemed calmer than when Mamoru first arrived.

"No. No I don't. I'd rather not die."

"You two," said a voice from behind. Jason's presence had surprised the pair. They didn't notice the front door opening. "You actually followed through with our deal."

"Oh yeah," said Miyu, "definitely!" And the calmness Miyu had regained was once again gone. His voice had jumped up on octave on that last word.

"What exactly is this 'deal'?" Mamoru asked the man, using air quotes in his phrasing. "You never specified."

"Just a simple job I have for the both of you," Jason replied. It was unsettling. He was avoiding answering the actual question. Mamoru stared at him for a second.

"That's it?"

"What did you expect?" Mamoru glanced over at Miyu. He didn't say anything. "Follow me." With a motion of a finger, Jason stepped off of the porch. Miyu and Mamoru exchanged a glance with one another before following.

"Maybe he's not as heartless as everyone says," Miyu whispered to Mamoru. Jason lead them around to the back of the house. The only thing in the backyard was a large tool shed. Jason fished a key out of his pocket. He unlocked the door and took a few steps back to show the boys what was inside.

"Oh sweet…" Mamoru said upon spying the contents. Inside the shed was copious amounts of boxes and large bags. This wasn't a storage shed. It was more like a junkyard with how much clutter there was.

"I need this cleaned out by the end of the day. The more days it takes, the more tasks I will pile on so I suggest you get this done today," said Jason. He began to walk back to the house on his property. "And keep the noise down to a minimum. I will be upstairs trying to work. I'll be back in a few hours to check on your progress." He didn't even stop or turn around to tell them that.

"Oh, sweet Lord," Mamoru said, finishing up his earlier statement. He put his face into his hands. They were being blackmailed for manual labor. Considering recent events, Mamoru wasn't even that surprised. Miyu clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's get started," said Miyu. The pair stepped inside.

* * *

 _Countless attempts at climbing up one of the trees proved to be useless. Riku gazed up at the star-shaped fruit hanging from the branches. He couldn't get a good grip on the trunk to even get a foot off of the ground._

 _"I wonder what it is," Riku said to himself. He jumped up, trying to get the fruit. He landed down with no result. "Maybe I could ask—"_

 _"Riku!" That was Sora's voice. "Riku, Riku, Riku, Ri—" By the time Riku had turned to face the voice, Sora had come barreling out of nowhere. He collided with Riku, sending both boys into the sandy dunes._

 _"Sora! Be careful!" Sora sat up before Riku could push him off._

 _"S-Sorry…" Riku sat up on his own. Sora looked like he had seen a ghost._

 _"What's wrong? Are you okay?"_

 _"I saw a monster!" Sora blurted out. Riku blinked._

 _"You saw what?"_

 _"In that cave over there!" Sora pointed behind him. Riku stood up. Sand stuck to his clothing._

 _"Are you sure you didn't imagine it?" Sora shot upwards._

 _"Why would I be lying?!"_

 _"Monsters don't come here, Sora." Riku thought this was a fact that everyone knew. He had learned it from Sora's own mother, after all. He assumed her son knew about it as well._

 _"Well… well this one did!" Sora grabbed Riku's hand and began to pull him towards the cave. "Come on! I'll show you!" Riku was surprised that Sora was able to drag him quick enough to make him trip over his own two feet. He pulled his hand out of Sora's grasp and began to follow him of his own volition._

* * *

Miyu pulled a box off of a pile of them. The weight of it made him stumble, but he still held onto his balance.

"We're going to kill ourselves doing this," said Miyu.

"Are you still on that theory that he's trying to murder us?" Mamoru asked him, shoving something Miyu couldn't see into a large, plastic trash bag.

"Yes! Why else would he pile us with this workload?" Miyu put the box on the ground. The relief of having to carry it was instantaneous. "In hopes it will fall and kill us." Mamoru turned to face Miyu.

"Or maybe he wants to civilly punish us for damaging his car without having to go to the sheriff." Miyu almost laughed at that.

"That's unlikely." If someone had damaged his property and didn't do anything about it, he would definitely go the sheriff over it. More so if it was on purpose.

"Maybe this was starting to bother him and interfere with his work?" Mamoru suggested. "He couldn't clean it out because his own work interfered with his free time".

"That's…" Miyu hesitated for a moment, "actually a better possibility than my murder theory."

"So you admit I'm right?" Mamoru tied up the trash bag in his hands as Miyu shook his head.

"No. Not at all." Mamoru rolled his eyes before turning away back to his half of the shed, seizing another bag in the process.

"Just get back to work. The sooner we're done with this, the sooner we can leave and wipe our hands clean of this whole thing." All Miyu gave him was a short nod before trying to get another box off of the stack.

* * *

 _Sora walked into the dim cavern, this time with Riku by his side. His friend still would not believe him about what he saw._

 _"It's true!" said Sora. "I saw it with my own eyes!"_

 _"You sure you didn't just hear it?" Riku asked._

 _"What difference does it make? There's a huge monster in there, I'm telling you!" Riku stifled a badly hidden laugh._

 _"All right. Suppose there really is a monster... Think we can beat it by ourselves, Sora?" A small bout of bravery sparked in Sora's heart._

 _"No problem. Let's do it!" They walked down the tunnel where the cave opened up. "Listen! There! Can you hear it growling?"_

 _"Shh, quiet." Sora immediately shut his mouth. Riku bent in closer to the opening. The only sound that could be heard were the waves. "We've gotta be careful."_

 _The pair slowly crept into the cavern. The sounds of the water faded away into stifling silence._

 _The only thing inside the cave was the holy in the ceiling._

 _"See that?" said Riku, pointing up to the light source. "It was just the wind making that noise." Sora frowned and disappointment rushed in._

 _"Aw, man. I wish it was a monster!" Sora looked around at the empty walls. All that covered them were moss and overgrown plants. "Geez, is that really all that's in here?"_

 _"What do you expect in a boring place like this?" Sora continued searching the cave as Riku spoke. "Hey, Sora." Sora looked back at him._

 _"Hmm?"_

 _"When we grow up, let's get out of here. We'll go on real adventures, not this kid stuff!" Riku's eyes grew wide. It was rare for Sora to see the boy get so excited about something. Although, his idea was appealing. Sora nodded._

 _"Sure," he said. "But isn't there anything fun to do now?" Something sparkled in the corner of Sora's eye. "Hold on! What's that over there?" The boys walked over to the corner. Hiding away in a small alcove was a large lump that Sora could not mistake._

 _"Is this the monster you saw?" Riku asked him._

 _"Yes!" Sora's voice echoed off of the walls. "I would never forget that!"_

 _"Doesn't look like a monster to me."_

 _"Should we poke it?"_

 _"I don't know. Maybe." The boys didn't have to. The mass stirred on its own. The outer layer that was displayed to Sora and Riku fell away. Underneath was a girl about their age. Her blue eyes bore holes into the two. The cloak she was wearing had come undone, exposing red hair._

 _"Who are you?" asked the girl. Sora and Riku were silent._

* * *

Hours seemed to pass. In actuality, it was more like a single hour. By that point, Miyu and Mamoru had a good dent cleaned out of the shed. Unfortunately, they still had a long way to go.

"You know, I take back what I said earlier," said Miyu, leaning up against a newly exposed wall. "Jason Holland is heartless."

"You're telling me," Mamoru replied, rubbing his temples with his one free hand. "How can someone hoard this much stuff? I swear, I think there's more things in here than in Gold's shop."

"That's impossible."

"Clearly you've never been inside of there." Miyu shook his head.

"Nope. I don't trust Gold. Not one bit."

"I can agree with you on that."

"Now that's believable." Mamoru glanced over at Miyu. His was was drawn in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I could count on one hand the amount of people you trust out of the hundreds in Storybrooke." Miyu held up all five fingers on his hand to help emphasise his point.

"Are you saying I don't trust people?" Miyu paused before replying. Mamoru already knew what his answer was going to be. Miyu shook his head.

"Not a whole lot. You don't exactly open yourself up to most people. Or anyone for that matter. You're the king of isolation." That was more than what Mamoru had expected. It almost made him laugh.

"That's the pot calling the kettle black."

"What?" Now it was Miyu's turn to be confused.

"When have you ever done the same thing?" Mamoru asked him.

"Never," said Miyu, his response almost instantaneous.

"I doubt that. You're weak, Irino."

"What?! I'm not weak!" His voice had grown in volume. It made Mamoru wince.

"Yes, you are! When I got trapped in the mines, what did you do?" Miyu was silent. There was a look of guilt on his face. There it was. Miyu's motive had been forcibly brought to light. "That's what I thought. It's probably why you've been hanging around me too, right?" Mamoru knew his was right. Unfortunately, so did Miyu.

"At least I don't shut everybody out!" he retorted, "After everything that's happened lately, I thought that maybe you and I could actually get along. Now that this is happening, I don't know anymore. You're an emotionless jerk!" Miyu's growing rage began to mix in with the guilt. That was apparent enough by the look on his face. Mamoru wanted to scream. Instead, he felt his anger get shoved into a bottle and sealed away.

"That doesn't matter for anything in the long run," said Mamoru. He got closer to Miyu, purposefully staring at him dead in the eye. "There's only one person in this town that I trust. And no matter how much you want it to be, it'll will never be you." There was a moment of tense silence. Mamoru groaned, turning to face his half of the shed. "Let's just get this done and over with. I have to be somewhere."

The rest of the job was done in silence.

* * *

 _Riku and Sora didn't say a word. They just stared at the girl in front of them. The curious children had so many questions forming in their heads._

 _"I'll say it again," said the girl. "Who are you?" Sora was the first to snap out of the confusing trance he was in. He was also the first to answer._

 _"Oh," said Sora. "I'm Sora. This is my friend, Riku."_

 _"Don't tell her that!" said Riku loudly. He leaned in closer to Sora and lowered his voice. "We don't know who she is, and Miss Yuri says to not talk to strange people." Sora glanced over to the girl._

 _"She doesn't look strange to me." He walked up to her and sat down in front of the alcove. "Are you okay?"_

 _"I'm fine," said the girl. He held out a hand. The girl took it, allowing Sora to pull her out from her hiding spot with a great amount of effort. "Thank you."_

 _"What are you doing outside the walls?" asked Riku. It seemed like now was the time for their questions to be answered. The girl clutched at her ruffled skirt and lowered her head. Tears dropped down her face._

 _"Wha—" Sora stuttered. "H-hey! Why are you crying?"_

 _"I don't want to go back…" the girl told them. "Please don't make me go!" There was a second. The boys didn't understand what she was talking about._

 _"Why would we?" asked Riku. The girl looked up at them._

 _"You mean… you won't?"_

 _"I wouldn't. Sora defiantly wouldn't."_

 _"He's right!" Sora added. The girl dug her fingers deeper into the folds of her dress._

 _"Everyone's treating me weird know that my father's gone," said the girl._

 _"Y-Your dad's gone?"_

 _"He went away… they won't tell me where. But someone told me he isn't coming back." Sora didn't know that there were other people going through the same thing he was._

 _"That's what my mom told me, too. My dad went on a trip to another kingdom to help out some people. She said something happened and he's not coming back, either."_

 _"Did she?" Sora nodded._

 _"She says that he's still with us. Right here." He put a hand over his chest, remembering the conversation He had earlier with his mother. He held out the hand to the girl. This time, it was meant as an invitation._

 _"You want to come play with us?" he asked._

 _"We don't bite," said Riku._

 _"I… um… Oh!" The girl mumbled, taking a moment before actually answering. She grabbed onto Sora's hand. "Uh… yes!"_

 _"Come on!" said Riku. The three began to walk out of the cave. "We can go play in the water." The girl blinked. She used her free hand to lift her dress skirt off of the ground._

 _"Is that okay?" she asked._

 _"Sora doesn't think so. It's okay to me!"_

 _"Riku!" said Sora. It was true that he put up a fight about going in the water earlier, but he didn't want anyone to know about it. The girl tried to horribly hide it, but she was giggling at Sora's reaction._

 _"See? She's laughing." Sora frowned. Well, she did seem to feel better. Light broke over Sora's face as the little trio finally stepped out of the cave. It wasn't until the girl slipped her fingers out of his that Sora realized something._

 _"Hey," Sora said, glancing over his shoulder at the girl trailing behind them. "You never told us your name."_

 _"Oh," the girl said. She bit her thumb for a moment. "Uh… It's Kairi."_

 _"You mean like the princess?" asked Sora. She nodded._

 _"That's right!" Kairi sounded proud of the fact._

 _"You have the same name as the princess," said Riku flatly._

 _"I should," said Kairi._

 _"Why's that?"_

 _"I am the princess."_

 _"What?" said Riku. He seemed to be stunned by this bit of information. It went completely over Sora's head._

 _"So, do you still want to plays with us?" Sora asked. He didn't understand why Riku was acting like it was such a big deal. They lived in the castle after all. They lived with the royals._

 _"You're not going to take me back?" Kairi asked. Sora shook his head._

 _"I don't see why we have to. You can come back with us later!"_

 _"We're not really allowed outside when it gets dark," Riku explained, looking back towards the wall that cut the beach off from the rest of Lucidus._

 _"I… um… Thank you!" With a wide from, the three children took off running down the shoreline._

* * *

Mamoru leaned back in the chair on the far side of the room. His entire body felt like someone had used it for their personal punching bag. He wouldn't have been shocked if that was true, but this time, he was just relieved that the cause was from muscle being overworked.

It had taken a good two more hours for Mamoru and Miyu to finish. They didn't say anything to each other as they split. Mamoru immediately made a beeline for the Sheriff's station. He was waiting for someone to come and meet him. However, in the office was Emma Swan. The awkward silence between them was broken by bits and pieces of floating conversation.

"So, you think I can come back to work soon?" Mamoru asked Emma.

"It's not my call," replied Emma. "That would be a doctor's." Mamoru sunk back in his chair. He wanted something to get his mind off of earlier events. He wanted to get so wrapped up in his work that he could forget about the past few weeks. He could also forget about that accursed argument and everything that was said. Unfortunately, physical injury served as the impassable roadblock. "What are you so upset about?"

"Nothing," Mamoru said. He glanced up at Emma before looking away again.

"Has Henry told you about my superpower?" He blinked.

"Your what?"

"I can tell when people are lying." Mamoru sat up straighter.

"It's nothing. Just some stupid argument between me and someone else while we were… helping someone with something." It was a partial lie, one Mamoru hoped Emma didn't pick up on. It sounded a lot better than saying he and Miyu were being blackmailed.

"I'm going out on a limb here and saying that it was that kid you always seem to be with."

"Miyu."

"Right." Mamoru quietly groaned.

"Let's just say words were exchanged and leave it at that." Emma walked over to him. She put her hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. Otherwise the stress will make your injury worse." Emma bent down, picking up a box that had been sitting next to Mamoru on the floor. She took it and sat down at the desk that served as hers."If it's going to be bothering you this much, then do something about it."

"Your maternal side is showing." Emma ignored his comment. Instead, she opened the box and started going through the files hidden away inside. Before Mamoru could continue making awkward small talk, Graham entered the room. He was holding out a box of donuts to Emma.

"Sometimes the clichés are true," he said.

"Don't trust the donuts Emma," Mamoru told the deputy. "They tell lies." The last time Graham had done this, it was to persuade Mamoru to go home after he had stayed for over two hours. It had worked, but Mamoru had realized it until too late.

"What do you want?" Emma asked Graham.

"Remember when I said no night shifts?" Graham said. "I need you to work tonight. Just this once."

"Why?" Emma droned out, sounding a bit like a disappointed teenager.

"I volunteered at an animal shelter, and the supervisor is sick, and someone needs to feed the dogs. And my other employee is still out on account of an injury."

"Only a few more days!" Mamoru chimed in, standing up from his chair.

"Very lucky you brought a bear claw," said Emma. She took the treat from the box and took a bite out of it. Mamoru looked to Graham, ready to ask him if he could return soon. Before he could, he was interrupted by Mary Margaret Blanchard rushed into the sheriff's station.

"Emma, can I talk to you for a minute?" she said. There was a brief pause as Emma looked to the other two in the room.

"I'll just go patrol my office," said Graham. He went into his office, shutting the door behind him.

"I'm on my way out already," said Mamoru. He didn't want Emma's eyes to drill any deeper into him.

"Thanks," he heard Emma say as the door shut behind him. Mamoru wasn't even halfway down the hall when his head started pulsating. He tried to shake it off as just another headache, but the strange sensation grew. Mamoru's vision began to blur. He leaned up against the wall, shutting his eyes tight in hopes of stopping it. The only thing that happened were phantom voices playing on his ears.

* * *

 _"What I said back there… about thinking I was better at stuff than you… To tell you the truth, _… I was jealous of you."_

 _"What for?"_

 _"I wished I could live life the way you do. Just following my heart."_

 _"Yeah, well, I've got my share of problems, too."_

 _"Like what?"_

 _"Like… wanting to be like you."_

 _"Well, there is one advantage to being me… Something you could never imitate."_

 _"Really? What's that?"_

 _"Having you for a friend."_

 _"Then I guess… I'm okay the way I am. I've got something you could never imitate too."_

* * *

Mamoru's eyes snapped open. The voices faded away and the world around him returned to normal. The sensation was just like what had happened to him down in the mines. Mamoru had just written that off as some hallucination caused by his injury. Like before, one of those voices had been his own. The other felt familiar, but where he had heard it, Mamoru could quite place.

"What… What was that?" The teen muttered to himself. Guilt started to build into his chest. It tightened around his heart and began to constrict it. Mamoru hated that feeling. He wanted it to go away. He had to do something. It took Mamoru a second to realize Emma had been right. "Maybe I should apologize. Or at least say something… Where does Miyu live anyway…?" He started off down the hall, a little more speed in his pacing than before.

* * *

 _The sun was dangerously low when three children marched back to Lucidus Castle. Sora was dragging his feet behind Riku and Kairi._

 _"I don't wanna go back," groaned Sora._

 _"You didn't want to leave your room," said Riku, looking back at Sora. "Now you don't want to go back to your room."_

 _"Yes."_

 _"I would do anything to get out of mine," Kairi added. Riku groaned._

 _"This is why Miss Yuri trusts me more," he said._

 _"She does not!" said Sora, offended and cheeks growing red. "It's only because you're older than me!"_

 _"Is that true?" Kairi asked._

 _"Yeah," replied RIku. "I'm older by a year."_

 _"Just one year," said Sora before muttering, "It's not that big of a gap."_

 _"To you maybe." Riku pushed open a side door that the boys had used to escape earlier. Kairi and Sora rushed inside before Riku followed, sealing the door behind them._

 _"Do you think we can do that again soon? Go out to the shore?" Kairi said as the trio walked down the corridor. "I really liked it."_

 _"Yeah!" said Sora. "I can ask my mother if we can go to there again." Kairi's smile was bright enough to lighten up the room. However, that light was immediately dimmed by someone's arrival._

 _"Princess!" called out a deep voice. It echoed off of the corridors. The kids came to a stop. Two men were walking towards them. One of them had silver hair and golden eyes. The man next to him wore the uniform of the royal guard, and bore an eyepatch over his scarred face. Sora felt a pit grow in his stomach._

 _"Lord Xehanort. Sir Braig," said Kairi. Her joy had been replaced with worries. "I…"_

 _"You're not supposed to leave the castle unattended," said the silver-haired man, Xehanort._

 _"She wasn't!" said Sora. Eyes fell to him. "She was with us all day!"_

 _"Sora, shush," Riku whispered to his friend. Kairi looked up to the two adults._

 _"I'm sorry," said Kairi. There was a pause._

 _"The important thing is that you are unharmed, princess," said Xehanort. "Braig?"_

 _"Yeah, yeah. Take her back to room and call off the search," said Braig, waving his superior off. "I'll see to it. Come on, shortstack." Kairi cast a worried look to the boys. Either way, she followed the guard down the hall. She didn't stop looking until she was out of sight._

 _"You two," Xehanort said. HIs voice had earned back a level of sternness that made chills run down the boy' spines and made them snap to attention. "I suppose I should be thankful that you found the princess. But it does raise the question as to why you didn't bring her back immediately."_

 _"It was my idea!" Sora blurted out. Xehanort stared at him._

 _"Excuse me?"_

 _"She didn't want to come back." Sora swallowed down something rising in his chest. "So… So we played outside for a little while."_

 _"It's dusk."_

 _"Which is why we came back!" Xehanort muttered something under his breath._

 _"Children," he said before waving off the two. "Go. Get out of my sight." The pair blinked, exchanging a brief glance._

 _"We're not in trouble?" asked Riku._

 _"There's no suitable punishment I can come up with that I can use on either of you. Be grateful for that." Before Xehanort could say any more, Sora and Riku took off down the hall. They didn't stop running until they were halfway to the servants' quarters._

 _"Was that a good thing?" Sora asked Riku, panting a little._

 _"It's a lucky thing," Riku replied. The boys began walking at a normal speed._

 _"I don't like him," said Sora once he caught his breath. "He's scary."_

 _"Me too. Even if he looks like…" Riku drifted off near the end of his sentence. Sora looked over at his friend._

 _"Like who, Riku?" Riku shook his head._

 _"Come on. Let's get back to your mother before she starts to worry about us."_

 _"Okay." Riku began running again. "Riku, wait up!" Sora sprinted to catch up with the elder boy. "I wonder what it's like to be like that," he said in between the breaths he was taking just to have enough air to keep up. "No wonder she didn't want to come back. I bet people like Kairi get to go wherever they want." Riku hummed in response._

 _"I wonder…" Sora could almost see gears turning in Riku's head._

* * *

The air was starting to get colder as the sun got lower. Mamoru had wandered around Storybrooke for a hour or so. He had gathered every bit of information he could about Miyu's whereabouts. Lucky for him, the last person he interrogated gave him the address of the Irino residence. Mamoru wasn't surprised that Miyu lived in the more rural areas of Storybrooke.

He jogged up to the front door. There was no hesitation as he knocked upon it. Mamoru was genuinely surprised when it wasn't Miyu who opened the door. Instead it was a woman. She was still dressed in her work uniform and looked like she had just come off of a twelve hour shift. Mamoru recognized her from a brief exchange at the hospital.

"You're… Hana, right?" said Mamoru. He tugged the edges of his sleeves to make sure that they were pulled down this time.

"Yes," said Mrs. Irino with a nod. "You're my son's friend. Mamoru."

"Friend is a strong word." At the moment, it was probably the wrong word. "But, I am surprised you remembered me."

"I'm not that old yet. Would you like to come in?" Hana opened the door a bit wider.

"Err… no." Coming in the house did not seem like a good idea if Miyu was still mad at him over earlier. He would rather keep the meeting outside. "Do you know where Miyu is? Is he here? I need to talk to him."

"No. Actually, he's at work right now. He switched shifts with someone. He said he had something after school that conflicted with work." So that's

"Oh," was the only thing that Mamoru could get out of his mouth. He had expected that Miyu came straight home after their little task was done.

"If you want, you could wait here for him." Hana stepped off to the side to allow Mamoru to step in. He remained rooted to his spot on the terrace. "It must be important if you came all the way down here."

"N-No. No," Mamoru said with a shake of his head. "It's not that important. I'll just get going then."

"Alright." Mamoru was down the steps that lead up to the front door. Something jerked him back and stopped him from continuing forward. Guilt. The universe was not being kind to him today, was it?

"Wait," Mamoru said. He turned back around. Hana almost had the door shut when he had called out. It was fully open now. "When he gets back, can… can you tell him that if the offer still stands, I'm interested. And that… that I want apologize for what I told him. He'll know what I mean."

"Okay?" He didn't blame her for being confused. The entire mess was confusing. "Well, have a good night."

"You too." Hana had shut the door. Mamoru wandered away from the house. Great. Now where was he supposed to go? Emma was at the sheriff's station, Graham was volunteering at the animal shelter and he was definitely not going back to that apartment. Only one place of solidarity popped into mind, and that's where Mamoru set his internal compass to.

* * *

 _The sound of music was muffled. It had to be loud enough to reach the two boys tucked away in the servants' quarters in the lower levels of the castle. Sora sat on the floor, fiddling with a few objects that were scattered around him. He paused, looking up towards the ceiling._

 _"It sounds like a party up there," said Sora._

 _"That's because it is," Riku confirmed from his spot on a nearby bed. "They think if they have a ball, then no one will be upset anymore."_

 _"That's stupid." Sora went back to his personal task at hand. Riku looked over the foot of the bed, staring at what his friend was attempting to create._

 _"What are you doing?" Sora ignored him. It was a few minutes later when he responded ny holding up his creation._

 _"Ta-da!" In the boy's hands was a sword made out of wooden scarps and tied together rope. Riku stared at it. "When I get older, I want to be a knight. Just like my dad was before…"_

 _"I think it's a good dream to have." Sora lowered the toy._

 _"You really think so?" Riku nodded. He hopped off of the bed and joined Sora at his side._

 _"I'll become one too. That way, we can travel the world together!" A sense of pride and happiness grew in Sora's chest. He nodded._

 _"Alright!" The boys' atmosphere was broken the door's handle twisting open. The door slowly creaked open. Inside rushed the princess._

 _"Kairi!" said both boys in unison. Kairi looked towards them. She perked up._

 _"Hi," Kairi said rather quietly. She made sure that the door was silent when she shut it behind her._

 _"Shouldn't you be upstairs?" asked Sora. Kairi shook her head. She walked over to the two._

 _"I don't have to be. I want to be down here with you." There was a second of silence._

 _"You do?" said Riku. He stared at her._

 _"You sound surprised," said Kairi._

 _"Most people don't leave balls to come be with little kids."_

 _"But I'm a little kid, too." She was right. If Sora had to guess, Kairi was around his age, or even was the same age as him._

 _"Aren't you gonna get in trouble?" Sora said. She had gotten in trouble for just going outside and leaving her room. There was a possibility that she would get in trouble for leaving the ball alone as well._

 _"I'm not leaving the castle this time. And I told one of the guards where I was going, too. He said it was fine." Sora wondered which one of the guards she was talking about. Someone who was easy to get by and easily swayed. If he found out who it was, maybe he could fulfill that promise of going to the beach again. "Can I stay here with you?"_

 _"Yeah. I guess," said Riku, shrugging a little. "If you really want to."_

 _"Does this mean we're friends?" Kairi asked with a sparkle in her eyes. "I've never had a friend my own age before unless you count the prince but..." She trailed off. Sora nodded. He was bouncing on his toes. This was the most exciting thing to happen to him all week._

 _"Yup! All three of us," said Sora. He raised his wooden sword in the air. "Friends forever!" A fit of laughter sealed the deal between Sora, Kairi and Riku._

* * *

The waves of the Atlantic Ocean were broken by a stone skipping across it. The stone was washed under the sea. Mamoru picked up another one and threw it across the water. The moonlight reflected off of it before it sank into the fathoms below.

"Stupid…" Mamoru muttered to himself. He picked up another rock that had been sitting in a pile next to him. "What was I thinking?" He threw it. The stone had barely jumped the waves at all.

"I knew I'd find you out here." Mamoru turned around. Standing behind him was Storybrooke's sheriff.

"Hey, Graham." Mamoru stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "How was the shelter?"

"It was… more than what I bargained for." Graham avoided meeting his employee's gaze.

"You sound disappointed. What are you doing here?" Mamoru strode over to him, abandoning his pile of stone.

"It's almost midnight and when I was driving home, so I decided to check up on you." Mamoru bit down on his lip. Had he really been out here that long? "I saw you weren't at the station, so I decided to track you down to make sure nothing bad happened. First place I thought of was here."

"Really? You didn't think of checking my apartment?"

"You and I both know you would never go back there." Mamoru brushed his fingers over the back of his head. Where one diminishing welt had been caused by a cave-in, the other had been the result of a fight with his drunken father the day after. It still hurt.

"You know me pretty well." Mamoru and Graham began to walk off of the sandy shore and towards the town.

"I could drop you off at the station on my way home. Unless you want to spend the night. I'm pretty sure Emma's back there, and I don't think she's in a good mood."

"Please," Mamoru said with a nod. "I don't want Emma finding out about… everything." Mamoru didn't trust her enough with that bit of information. In his head, the less people that knew about his home life, the easier everything would be. He and Graham came to a stop in front of a car parked on the side of the road.

"Come on." Graham ushered Mamoru into the passenger side seat. He got in without hesitation. Graham walked around to the driver's side and got in. "What were you doing out here in the first place?"

"I tried to do something and the world was seemingly against it." Mamoru groaned, raking his fingers through his hair. "I had this weird… vision or something. It pushed me to do it."

"You okay?" Graham started the car before putting that hand on Mamoru's shoulder. The engine roared to life. "It could have been injury related." Mamoru shrugged him off.

"I doubt it. It felt more like it was just some dream I had. I probably just remembered it or something." Mamoru sunk back into the leather seats of the car. That wasn't the truth. As much as he trusted Graham, he wouldn't tell him what Mamoru actually believed the vision to be. The vision had seemed more like a far-off memory than a scattered dream.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **I apologize for my inability to write small children and the references in this chapter. Now, onto the chapter Q &A.**

 **QUESTION: "Out of curiosity… are you going to include all/most of the major KH characters, or just a couple of them? Obviously Sora, Riku and Kairi are major players, and from various clips and what you've said in your author's notes it sounds like Ventus, Roxas and possibly Terra are going to be involved too… but what about Axel, Xion, Namine and/or Aqua? It'd be interesting to see how they fit into all this…"**

 **ANSWER: Yes! I want to keep close to the Kingdom Hearts storyline while meshing it with the Once Upon A Time universe. So, yes. However, I can say that Aqua and Naminé won't be making appearances in this season. Xion will appear soon! She is who I was hinting at during the last chapter's Q &A. Axel/Lea will make his Storybrooke and Enchanted Forest debut in T _he Banished Prince of Lucidus._**

 **Q** **UESTION: "where is kairi?"**

 **ANSWER: I will let this slide because this was posted on chapter four and came before my confirmation. However, I will say it again. As of right now, Kairi is not in Storybrooke. She is still in the Enchanted Forest.**


	7. Update

**I know that a lot of people have been asking when this story is going to continue. And I know that I said that I wouldn't let it go. And I'm not going to. But there is a part of me that feels like I need to say this.**

 **The story will continue, just not on .**

 **I have moved most of my newer stuff onto ao3 due to personal preference. I find the site much easier to use that . That being said, Once Upon a Kingdom will be moving over and continuing on that site.**

 **My ao3 is baileek313. If you don't have an ao3 account but still want to follow the story, you can check out my tumblr. I post updates for all my fanfictions there as well. The username is queen-ofsunflowers. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through either one of them.**

 **Another reason for the long waited update is that I was waiting for KH3 to come out so that I could have linear way to work the two stories together. I have my copy on me, and have been playing it for about seven or so hours now. Once that is done, hopefully I can work the two together. Or maybe do some rewriting of the ending, Nomura said it would be hard to swallow. We'll see how it goes.**

 **Thank you for your patience and support.**


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